Helmut Marko on Red Bull changes: Laurent Mekies’ experience key, Yuki Tsunoda working with psychologist. Helmut Marko endorses Laurent Mekies as the ideal candidate to lead Red Bull Racing.

Helmut Marko, a key figure in the recent shake-up at Red Bull
Widely regarded as one of the main architects behind the recent major changes at Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko emerges as a clear winner following the dismissal of Christian Horner after more than 20 years at the helm of the Milton Keynes-based team. The 82-year-old advisor and former right-hand man to team founder Dietrich Mateschitz shared his insights on these developments in his column on the German-language website Speedweek. Marko detailed the rationale behind the promotion of Laurent Mekies to team principal, alongside Alan Permane’s advancement to lead the Faenza-based Racing Bulls team.

The promotion of Laurent Mekies and Alan Permane
“Laurent stood out as the ideal candidate for the new role,” Marko explained. “He represents an internal solution, which we value highly, but also brings an impressive wealth of experience. His extensive background, including key roles within the FIA and Ferrari, means he possesses all the necessary qualifications to expertly guide a top-level Formula 1 team. Alan was previously the sporting director of Racing Bulls, and promoting him was the most logical step for us, as we didn’t want to bring in anyone from outside. Essentially, we just expanded his existing responsibilities.”

The championship remains wide open
Marko also announced new components will be introduced on the Red Bull RB21 car as early as the Belgian Grand Prix, aiming to help Max Verstappen continue to fight at the top. “We still have 12 Grands Prix and four Sprint races ahead of us, with over 300 points up for grabs. In this context, and thanks to further upgrades planned for Belgium that should help us close the gap to McLaren, we don’t consider the championship battle over. Spa-Francorchamps should suit our car better, especially given the typically variable weather conditions, and we remain optimistic. Hungary could pose some challenges due to the track layout and usually high temperatures. But we will bring updates for both weekends and hope they have a positive effect.”

Helmut Marko sends Yuki Tsunoda to a psychologist
Finally, Marko offered encouraging remarks regarding Yuki Tsunoda’s performances, revealing the young driver is working with a mental coach to improve both his driving and mental resilience. “Yuki has struggled at times during certain race weekends, but we saw positive signs already in England, where the gap to Max was smaller than before. We’ve had intense discussions with him, and he is also working with a sports psychologist. Unfortunately, in the race, like Max, he had no chance with that severely compromised rear wing. Nevertheless, we see his performance improving and are optimistic that this will soon translate into points.”