Laurent Mekies on Red Bull’s driver rotation and VCARB’s role: “We’re built for this”. Laurent Mekies outlines VCARB’s role in developing Red Bull drivers.

It was one of the most talked-about topics in the paddock. We’re referring to Red Bull’s decision at the start of the season to demote Liam Lawson to the satellite team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls and promote Yuki Tsunoda to the main team. It was a bold and, at times, controversial move, triggered by Lawson’s underwhelming performances in the first two races of the season in Australia and China. A trend that prompted the Christian Horner-led team to swap him with Racing Bulls’ team leader Yuki Tsunoda, who was called up mid-season to partner Max Verstappen, carrying the dual pressure of needing to perform and to measure up against the Dutch superstar.

Nothing new
It wasn’t a surprising move from Red Bull, who—despite offering Liam Lawson a step forward—did not appear to gain the hoped-for impact from their number two driver. As of today, Yuki Tsunoda himself is under scrutiny due to results that are falling short of expectations. In a recent exclusive interview with Laurent Mekies, head of the VCARB team, we discussed the dynamics behind this driver turnover and how the decision-making process works.

“It will never be our job to choose Red Bull’s drivers. That’s up to Helmut Marko and Horner. Our role is only to provide the parent team with strong options when needed. In 2024, we offered two solid choices in Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, and this year, when we were asked, we put another equally valid candidate on the table. And we’ll be ready to do it again.”

(Theoretical) benefits for RB — but what about VCARB?
These changes, in practice, are approved by Helmut Marko to benefit Red Bull, whether through driver growth or by contributing points to the Constructors’ standings. However, while there are upsides for Milton Keynes, there are also downsides that VCARB must live with—though they accept them calmly, as Laurent Mekies admits, since it’s part of the team’s DNA.

“Changing drivers mid-season is never an advantage—there’s no point pretending otherwise. It’s always difficult to manage these situations, especially if you’re dealing with two rookies. But it’s our DNA, our reason for being, which we have to reconcile with our goal of fighting at the top of the midfield and maybe even challenging the bigger teams.”