Laurent Mekies is just starting his first weekend as Red Bull team principal, and he already sees where changes are needed to get the team back on track.
Red Bull announced Mekies as Christian Horner’s replacement after his sudden departure, ending a 20-year run at the helm of the team.
His appointment is another example of an engineer stepping into a top leadership role in F1, and Martin Brundle has pointed out that Red Bull seems to be following McLaren’s path. The model saw Andrea Stella take over as team principal in 2022 with positive results.
He arrived at Spa-Francorchamps early on Friday and began holding meetings across various departments – something Horner had often avoided during his time in charge.
Laurent Mekies sees Christian Horner distraction as a setback for the team
During an appearance on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, journalist Andrew Benson pointed out something Mekies said during his first press conference with Red Bull that might have been more than just a casual remark.
When asked by Harry Benjamin if anything stood out, Benson responded: “Well, there was one line that was quite interesting.
“At one point, he was talking about the people in the factory, and said, ‘You see a lot of desire from everyone to get that Red Bull energy to reduce the noise outside just to concentrate on racing.’
“I don’t know whether he was deliberately referring to the last 18 months, because it certainly sounded like it, or whether that was a slight slip of the tongue.
“It suggests it was actually having a negative impact on the team. And who knows, as well as the departures of Newey and Wheatley, maybe that disruption was also somewhere in the mix of why Red Bull suffered this loss of performance in the last 12 months or so.”
Laurent Mekies off to a flying start as Red Bull team principal
Max Verstappen made sure the noise around team leadership changes didn’t linger for long, dominating the Sprint race at Spa from the opening lap to secure his first short-format win of the season.
While some Formula 1 fans were quick to dismiss Mekies’ role – arguing that having Verstappen in the car makes any team principal look good – others pointed out that even subtle adjustments behind the scenes can help a team sharpen its competitive edge.
Verstappen is reported to be very happy with the Frenchman’s appointment so far. His background as an engineer has meant that he ‘excels’ in understanding the wants and needs of drivers.
Verstappen has won three of the last four Belgian Grands Prix and will be looking for another strong performance on Sunday. With momentum building and confidence growing within the team, Red Bull fans will be hoping this is just the beginning under Mekies.
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