Laurent Mekies has revealed how his appointment to the team principal job at Red Bull unfolded behind the scenes.
Just days after the British Grand Prix, Red Bull confirmed it had parted ways with Christian Horner, bringing his 20-year stint as team boss to an end.
It quickly announced Mekies as his replacement, with the Frenchman stepping up from his leading role at the sister Racing Bulls squad.
The leadership change came as a shock to many - including Mekies himself, who needed several hours to digest the offer.
“It was not very different for me than it was for you,” Mekies said when asked by RacingNews365 to recount the experience.
“I got a call a few hours before you guys were made aware. I got a call from Oliver [Mintzlaff] and Helmut [Marko] and they asked me if I would be interested to do the job.
“It came out of the blue at that moment for me. I was actually in the UK, at Racing Bulls, and came in a completely unexpected way.
“I actually asked them [if I could] think about it for a few hours and I hung up the phone.
“It’s difficult to digest, but the first thing that then comes into your mind, you say: ‘Well, wait a second - it's Red Bull. They are calling you, they ask you to step in to do that job.
“With everything that Red Bull means, it’s energy, it's spirit, how they go about their racing teams.
“That’s how you pick up the phone and you say, of course, it's an honour, it’s a privilege.”
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Laurent Mekies hails 'supportive' Christian Horner
Mekies' arrival as Racing Bulls team principal in 2024 did not mark his first time working for the team, having previously enjoyed a stint as an engineer from 2006 to 2014.
Mekies outlined Horner was central to getting him back to the Red Bull family in recent years.
“The first thought in this moment goes to Christian,” he added. “It’s not something that I could have expected.
“He had been nothing else but extremely supportive with me in these last two years.
“It’s not a secret that he’s the one, with Oliver and Helmut, that brought me back to the Red Bull family a couple of years ago.
“So that's the sort of mixed mix of emotion that you get at that moment.
“But the dominant one is Red Bull calling, it’s then a matter of loyalty to work towards the brand.
“[I said] ‘of course, if you think you need me there, I will go there’.”
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