Laurent Mekies says the view from inside Red Bull matches the myth from the outside: this still feels like the “impossible-to-beat opponent.”
Promoted to CEO and team principal after Christian Horner’s exit, Mekies inherits a team that’s spent two decades defining the modern F1 benchmark, even if the last stretch has been bruising by Red Bull standards. His message? The core identity that made the outfit feared — the restless, ideas-first culture — hasn’t gone anywhere.
“It’s an incredible privilege,” Mekies said of taking the reins. “Every hour with the people here has only confirmed the impression I had from across the pit lane. The potential in this group is enormous.” He leaned on the company mantra — “giving wings to people and ideas” — as both a promise and a plan, arguing that the spirit that once powered title streaks can power a comeback.
Horner’s tenure set an almost impossible act to follow: six Constructors’ crowns and a haul of Drivers’ titles across the Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen eras. But dynasties wobble, even in Milton Keynes. The car hasn’t carried its untouchable aura every Sunday of late, and the paddock can smell opportunity. That’s the backdrop to Mekies’ step up from Red Bull’s sister squad.
He arrived at the start of 2024 to lead the Faenza outfit through its own reboot, then branded Visa Cash App RB. Eighteen months later, he leaves behind a tighter, feistier operation now headed by Alan Permane, who moves from racing director to team principal. In a farewell note to his former team, Mekies called their sharp rise “just the beginning for an incredibly talented group.”
For Red Bull Racing, the brief is sharper still: win again, and keep winning as F1 edges toward its next era. Mekies isn’t pretending it’s simple. Regulations evolve, rivals regroup, and margins shrink. But he’s staking his tenure on culture over gimmicks, empowerment over panic — the same atmosphere that once turned aggressive concepts and audacious hires into Sunday afternoon inevitability.
The competitive order in 2025 has teeth, and Red Bull no longer enjoys the luxury of being everyone’s worst nightmare on pure pace. Yet the building blocks are familiar: a team drilled to fight at the front, a driver roster that knows how to close, and an organisation that, historically, responds to pressure by getting dangerous.
Mekies doesn’t sound like a man coming in to rewrite the book. He sounds like one intent on reopening the best chapters. “None of us underestimates the many challenges that lie ahead,” he said. “But with that unique spirit and energy, we’ll take the fight back to the big beasts.”
The aura, then, is intact. Now it’s about lap time.
