Red Bull boss underlines neccessary team shift after F1 controversy

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has highlighted his desire to have less politics at the squad going forward.

Mekies took over as team boss earlier this year after Christian Horner was dismissed from his role following 20 years in charge of the day-to-day operations.

Horner was one of the most successful team principals in F1 history, having enjoyed championship success with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

However, he was also well known for the political games he would play and his jabs at other team bosses through the media.

Mekies, who stepped up from the leading role at Racing Bulls, insisted the team's primary focus is on racing.

“Let me put it this way: it's an incredibly competitive environment and we believe that to be competitive here, you also need to enjoy what you are doing. 

“We work hard, we play hard - that's the Red Bull spirit. This team personifies pure racing.”

Earlier this year, a mild controversy surrounded Red Bull when it emerged that mechanics were removing a piece of tape on the grid that was used as a reference point for Lando Norris.

Mekies soon after declared it would not carry out such a manoeuvre again going forward, as Red Bull seek to block out external “noise” from factors that don't contribute to on-track results.

“All we have done is to make sure that we can, as a group, concentrate on pure racing and not getting too distracted by the noise around,” he said.

“And do what we fundamentally love to do, which is to try to get these cars to go faster on the track. 

“So that's all really. Concentrate on what we love to do, push harder than anyone else and try to enjoy it in the process.”