Racing Bulls name new team principal in Red Bull merry-go-round

Racing Bulls have turned to F1 stalwart Alan Permane as its new team principal. The decision comes as part of the shock merry-go-round within the Red Bull Racing family in the wake of the dismissal of Christian Horner. The Briton's exit after 20 years at the helm has resulted in Laurent Mekies switching from team principal at Racing Bulls to the new head figure at Red Bull. With Mekies moving on, Permane has stepped into the team principal role at Racing Bulls. Permane is a renowned figure in F1, spending 24 years at the Enstone operation through its various guises as Benetton, Renault and Alpine before being sacked as the latter's sporting director in July 2023. Permane was then appointed to the role of sporting director with Racing Bulls at the start of last year. On his new role, he said: "I feel very honoured to take on the role as team principal and would like to thank Oliver and Helmut for the trust they have shown in me. "I am looking forward to working with Peter [Bayer, CEO] to continue the good work that both him and Laurent have done in taking this team forward. "This is a new challenge for me, but I know that I can count on the support of everyone within them.”