The man trusted to save Red Bull from downward spiral

Just over a week ago, the bombshell news was announced that Christian Horner and Red Bull had parted ways after over 20 years of Horner leading the Milton Keynes-based outfit. 

The news shocked many, but the time for shock is over with the second half of the season just around the corner. Horner’s replacement is Laurent Mekies, who was handed a direct promotion having been Racing Bulls’ team principal for the past 18 months. 

Now, he finds himself steering the Red Bull ship as its new team principal and CEO. A new boss for Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda, so, who exactly is Laurent Mekies?

Mekies has taken on one of the biggest jobs in F1 at a team constantly in the spotlight, but as his career shows, working for giant organisations has never been a problem. 

The 48-year-old Frenchman has spent his entire working life involved in motorsport after studying mechanical engineering, before completing a Master’s degree at Loughborough university in automotive engineering. 

Mekies career path to Red Bull throne

Just like a racing driver, Mekies’ career started in Formula 3, where he joined Asiatech in 2000. However, like Verstappen, Mekies jumped from F3 to F1, with Peugeot having signed him as an engineer on its engine programme. 

This was not for long, as the role saw him move to the Arrows F1 Team, where he was responsible for engine performance from 2001 to 2002. Not long after in 2003, Mekies moved to Minardi, initially as a race engineer, but quickly became its chief engineer. 

He stuck with the outfit when it was bought by Red Bull and renamed Toro Rosso. Mekies played a crucial role in Sebastian Vettel’s famous 2008 Italian Grand Prix victory for the Red Bull sister team and stuck with the squad until 2012.

Then came a big change in Mekies’ career, as from 2014 to 2017, he worked for the FIA. At first, he was its safety director, but later rose to become its deputy race director next to the late Charlie Whiting. 

However, Mekies was back on the pit wall in 2018, when he joined Ferrari as its sporting director. Three years later in 2021, a promotion saw him become its racing director. 

He stuck with the Scuderia until mid-2023, before leaving Ferrari and Fred Vasseur to accept an offer as Racing Bulls’ new team principal.

Mekies officially took on the role at the start of 2024 following the retirement of Franz Tost, who had led Red Bull’s sister team from when it entered F1 in 2006. 

It was a major change, but one which saw genuine steps made in the right direction after a spell of being uncompetitive which saw rumours circulate that the team could be sold. 

Now, after 18 months of growing Racing Bulls into a solid midfield outfit able to consistently make Q3 and score points, he has been handed the throne at Red Bull. 

Article continues below the image...

Huge Red Bull challenge

Leading Red Bull is undoubtedly the biggest challenge of Mekies’ career, with so much going against the energy drink company in F1. 

Red Bull’s current challenges include: a troublesome car in the RB21, being fourth in the constructors’ standings, Verstappen likely being out of the drivers’ title fight and possibly moving to Mercedes, Yuki Tsunoda having scored just seven points in 10 races and Red Bull becoming a powertrain supplier in 2026. 

It’s fair to say, Mekies is up against it; however, he is ready for the challenge, saying: "We don't underestimate the challenges ahead. The focus is on ensuring that all the talented people here have everything they need to give their best—because they are already the best. And we need to ensure that the Red Bull energy flows throughout the entire team."

Despite the magnitude of Mekies’ challenge, he does have one thing massively in his favour, widespread support. 

Mekies is a liked individual, one who has grown a positive reputation for his work ethic and productivity. Already, several figures have outlined to RacingNews365 that Mekies is an excellent fit. 

Speaking to RacingNews365 on if Mekies is a good fit to lead Red Bull, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert said: "I think so, I like Laurent. I think he's got a good way about him, I think he's got a good understanding. 

"It's like anything, he's had all that experience at Ferrari, all that experience now at Racing Bulls, and all that experience is something that's very beneficial. He's in the meetings, he knows everybody plays the game, and I think he's a smart character that can utilise all the experience that he's had and bring that experience to Red Bull. 

"And that's something that is very, very important to any team, especially when you're at the sharp end of the grid. You've got to have the right ingredients to be able to either bring it back to winning ways, let's say, like McLaren have."

Mekies and Horner differences

Not only does Mekies know the Red Bull world, he also comes from an engineering background. Team principals with an engineering background are becoming a theme in F1, most notably at McLaren with Andrea Stella. 

Horner did not come from an engineering background, but rather a political one, with former F1 driver and current Red Bull simulator driver Sebastien Buemi having highlighted the key difference between new and old Red Bull bosses.

"He's [Mekies] obviously an engineer, so he knows technically for sure a lot," Buemi told RacingNews365. But obviously, Christian's been politically very strong, and he's been growing the team for a long time. 

"I don't know how many people were working for Red Bull when he joined, and how many there is now, like, over 1500. I don't know how many actually. He's seen the expansion of the team. Laurent knows it as well. He's been at Ferrari, it's a big team."

Time will tell how Mekies gets on as Red Bull's new boss but, ultimately, he has been trusted to save the outfit from the downward spiral its currently in.