Debris on lap eight cost Verstappen second place at the US Grand Prix, says Mekies

Max Verstappen’s third-place finish at the United States Grand Prix was shaped by debris damage picked up on lap eight, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies revealed after the race at the Circuit of the Americas.

“Max’s car hit some debris around lap eight and picked up some damage,” Mekies told media following the race. “On top of that, we had a few issues that hurt the balance and, as a result, the pace dropped off, the degradation increased, and Max couldn’t hang on to second place.”

Verstappen had been vocal over the radio during the race, criticising his pitstops, tyre compounds, and engine braking. Mekies, however, pointed to the unseen structural damage as the root cause of the car’s deteriorating behaviour rather than any engineering misstep from the garage.

The team principal also conceded that Red Bull lacked the outright pace to challenge race winner Kimi Antonelli, who led from the front with little pressure. “It’s fair to say that, despite a 12th podium of the season with Max finishing third, we are leaving Austin not fully satisfied,” Mekies said. “We lost a bit of our edge today, and I don’t think we had enough pace to fight with Kimi, who had a very strong race, so well done to him.”

Verstappen was not the only Red Bull driver to endure a difficult afternoon. Team-mate Isack Hadjar was compromised from the outset by a faulty clutch that cost him at the start, and a subsequent radio blackout left the team unable to communicate strategy changes during the race. Mekies did not deflect responsibility. “It was a similar story for Isack, whose race was compromised by the start and then by a couple of problems during the race,” he said. “Once again, the starts weren’t perfect, but the team is working to make sure we have the tools to fix that in the future.”

Despite the frustrations for both drivers, Red Bull left Texas in a strong position in the constructors’ standings, with Verstappen’s podium adding to a tally that already stretches to 12 for the season. The team will be looking to resolve both the reliability concerns around Hadjar’s car and the setup questions raised by Verstappen before the next round.