Laurent Mekies admits he thought “about it for a few hours” when he was asked to replace Christian Horner as Red Bull’s Formula 1 boss.
In an unexpected twist, Red Bull announced two weeks ago that Mekies would immediately replace Horner as team principal and CEO.
Horner had served as Red Bull’s principal since the team’s debut in 2005 and was instrumental in transforming it from newcomers into perennial title contenders.
Under his stewardship, Red Bull won eight drivers’ championships, six constructors’ titles, and 124 races, making his departure one of the most significant leadership changes in modern F1 history.
The decision to promote Mekies, who had recently been in charge of Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls, came with little advance warning, even to him.
Mekies received a surprise call from Red Bull executives Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko just hours before the news was made public.
“I got a call a few hours before you guys were made aware,” Mekies told reporters at Spa on Friday. “I got a call from Oliver and Helmut, and they asked me if I would be interested to do the job.
“And obviously, 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.
“And I actually asked them to think about it for a few hours and hung up the phone. Obviously, you know, it’s difficult to digest.
Mekies in the paddock at Spa
Grand Prix Photo
“But the first thing that then comes into your mind, say, well, wait a second, you know, it’s Red Bull. They are calling you. They ask you to step in to do that job with everything that Red Bull means, its energy, its spirits, how they go about their racing teams. And that’s how you pick up the phone and say, course, it’s an honour, it’s a privilege, as we said.
“First thoughts obviously go to, in this moment as well, to Christian, because it’s not something that I could have expected, and it had been nothing else than 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 mix of emotion that you get at that moment. But as I said, the dominant one is Red Bull calling.
“I guess it’s then a matter of loyalty towards the brand and you just say of course you know I am if you think you need me there, I will go there.”
Though the official statement from Red Bull did not specify a reason for Horner’s sudden dismissal, speculation ranges from internal power struggles and performance issues to the aftermath of investigations into team conduct and leadership disputes.
Mekies said there had been no explanation from Red Bull’s bosses about the timing or reasons for Horner’s dismissal.
“We didn’t get into the why or why now, but they outlined the sort of objectives they had for the team moving forward,” he added.
Verstappen’s future
Horner’s exit followed an 18-month stretch of internal challenges and waning results for Red Bull, with 2025 seeing the team fall behind rivals McLaren.
At the heart of the team’s current challenges is Max Verstappen‘s position.
Laurent Mekies arrives as Red Bull F1 team principal with a series of immediate challenges to solve and long-term issues to tackle. He'll either sink or swim, says Mark Hughes
By
Mark Hughes
Although Verstappen is contractually tied to Red Bull until the end of 2028, his future has become a subject of intense speculation following Horner’s departure, ongoing links to Mercedes, and the presence of exit clauses in his current contract.
Verstappen has downplayed the connection between Horner’s exit and his own decisions, and Mekies is convinced all Red Bull needs to erase any doubts about the Dutchman’s future is to produce a competitive car that allows him to fight at the front.
“In terms of priority, I’m sure Max wants a fast car,” Mekies said. “And if we get him a fast car, I’m sure it’s cancelling out all the other considerations.
“So really, the focus is very much to, as we said earlier, to try to get to know the team as quickly as possible in order to see how we can support, how we can build the next step of competitiveness in order to get a fast car and hence to make it an easy call for Max.”
