Laurent Mekies has been in charge at Red Bull for a week, but the scale of the job ahead is only just starting to hit home.
He has replaced Christian Horner, stepping into a role that had only ever been filled by one man since Red Bull took over from Jaguar in 2005.
The Frenchman is just the second team principal in Red Bull’s history, following Horner’s long tenure that began after the team bought Jaguar from Ford before the 2005 season.
Horner helped transform the team into a powerhouse, leading them to eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles during his time.
But power struggles behind the scenes and a dip in results over the past 18 months eventually led to his dismissal. Mekies was promoted from Racing Bulls, stepping in after Horner was let go without being given a clear reason why.
Laurent Mekies faces a big job cleaning up Christian Horner’s mess at Red Bull
Red Bull were close to unbeatable in 2023, winning 21 out of 22 races. Since then, though, they’ve managed just 11 wins from the following 36 Grands Prix. That drop-off included only seven victories in the 31 races since Adrian Newey left, frustrated by Horner undermining his role.
Newey is just one of several key figures to have departed in recent years. Rob Marshall joined McLaren in 2023, and Will Courtenay followed him there in 2024 – although Horner kept him at Red Bull until the end of the following year. Jonathan Wheatley also left to take over at Sauber earlier this year.
Speaking on Paddockpraat, racing driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shared his thoughts on the size of the challenge that Mekies will have to deal with.
“It’s a great job, of course. But it’s a mess there. You have to reorganise everything, and maybe Max will leave. That would have a huge impact because Max is a driving force within the team.
“For Mekies, it’s a big step from a smaller team to a top team. This is a logical next step in his career. Now, he has to make it happen, or not… He really has to be a leader, and whether Mekies is that? I’m not so positive about the choice yet. But I’m happy to be surprised.”
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Red Bull banking on Laurent Mekies’ technical know-how to steady the ship
Mekies, who had a front-row seat to Horner’s final months from his position at Racing Bulls, is starting by zeroing in on Red Bull’s approach to race weekends. He’s pointed out that their issues often start before the lights go out, with poor preparation piling early pressure onto the team.
But according to simulator driver Sebastien Buemi, while Red Bull might miss Horner’s political pull – especially his connections within the FIA – they could benefit from Mekies’ technical strengths. The new boss brings an engineering background that could prove valuable as Red Bull look for a way back to title contention.
Red Bull will certainly hope that Mekies’ technical background, having previously worked as an engineer specialising in aerodynamics, can help to turn their fortunes around
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