“These guys go on the edge on every single aspect,” claims Mekies
Having spent just over a month at Red Bull, freshly-appointed team boss Laurent Mekies was left to praise the Milton Keynes-based outfit's team members, claiming that he has seen "extraordinary talent, incredible racing spirit" since taking over the reign.
Just two days after the British Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing announced that Christian Horner would leave the team with immediate effect. The Briton has been at the helm for almost the entire team's history in F1 but his exit follows a couple of troublesome years of internal struggles since Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz passed away.
Horner has been in charge of Red Bull since the team entered the sport in 2025, serving as team principal for two decades. During that time, the 51-year-old Briton has led Red Bull to six constructors' and eight drivers' world championship titles.
Red Bull elected to promote Laurent Mekies to lead the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Mekies began his career at Arrows before working as a race engineer at Minardi. He was promoted to chief engineer at Toro Rosso prior to becoming the safety director and, later, deputy race director at the FIA.
Prior to his time with Red Bull GmbH, he served as sporting director and deputy team principal at Ferrari from 2018 to 2023.
Having spent just over a month at Red Bull, Mekies was asked to reveal what initial impressions he has formed about where the Milton Keynes-based outfit has gone off the rails so far this year.
"All I’ve been seeing is extraordinary talent, incredible racing spirit. These guys go on the edge on every single aspect. There is not a single department where you see a bit of a feeling of laying back or resting.
"They really are at war, in the good sense of the word, in every single aspect. That’s what you see, Andrew," Mekies continued.
"So, in front of that, what we are going to try to do is make sure that all these women and men have everything they need to express themselves at their best, that they are supported, that they have all the means they need to show their talent.
"They have been showing season after season that they are the best in the world or, if they are not, they are very close. To your point, you do not see weaknesses.
"You see a lot of desire from everyone to get that Red Bull energy, perhaps to reduce the noise outside, just to concentrate on racing. That’s what you see, and that’s what we are going to try to do together.
