Austrian Formula 1 advisor Helmut Marko has highlighted a key quality of Red Bull Racing’s new team principal, Laurent Mekies, who recently took over leadership duties at the Milton Keynes-based team following the departure of Christian Horner. Marko, a long-time figure within Red Bull’s management structure, expressed his full satisfaction with Mekies’s commitment and technical expertise, particularly during a delicate phase for the team.
Red Bull turns the page after Christian Horner’s exit
Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend—where Max Verstappen went on to win the Sprint race with a dominant performance—Max Verstappen himself had expressed his optimism, stating: “I’m looking forward to working with Laurent Mekies.” The Dutch three-time world champion celebrated the Sprint victory with great enthusiasm, marking what appeared to be a successful start to a new era for Red Bull Racing following the dismissal of long-time team principal Christian Horner.
However, as the team arrived at the Hungarian Grand Prix, it seemed that Red Bull Racing was struggling to replicate the same level of performance it had shown at Spa-Francorchamps. Despite this, Helmut Marko remains very encouraged by how Laurent Mekies has handled his early days in charge. According to Marko, the former Ferrari sporting director has the right attributes to lead the team through a complex technical transition—a challenging period for Red Bull that began when legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey stepped back from his role.
“Mekies made an excellent debut and has been working shifts of at least 14 hours a day at the factory in Milton Keynes,” Helmut Marko explained. “What sets him apart from many other team principals is the fact that he is an outstanding engineer. He focuses his discussions on technical and engineering matters with the senior figures in the team.”
Marko’s comments underline the strategic shift at Red Bull, where technical expertise is being placed at the heart of leadership, especially in the absence of Adrian Newey’s day-to-day involvement. Whether the change from Christian Horner to Laurent Mekies will deliver lasting results remains to be seen, but the early signs suggest a proactive and committed approach.
In one of his first key decisions as team principal, Laurent Mekies reportedly aimed to boost morale within the Racing Bulls sister team, particularly by offering psychological support to Yuki Tsunoda. Mekies ensured that the Japanese driver received the updated floor specification for his RB21, even though doing so meant taking away the spare component that had been reserved for Max Verstappen. The move was seen internally as a symbolic gesture to reinforce trust and cohesion across Red Bull’s wider driver programme.
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