25/07/2025 16:10
Laurent Mekies has revealed how his appointment to the team
principal job at Red Bull unfolded behind the scenes. Just days
after the British Grand Prix, Red Bull confirmed it had parted ways
with Christian Horner, bringing his 20-year stint as team boss to
an end. It quickly announced Mekies as his replacement, with the
Frenchman stepping up from his leading role at the sister Racing
Bulls squad. The leadership change came as a shock to many -
including Mekies himself, who needed several hours to digest the
offer. "It was not very different for me than it was for you,"
Mekies said when asked by RacingNews365 to recount the experience.
"I got a call a few hours before you guys were made aware. I got a
call from Oliver [Mintzlaff] and Helmut [Marko] and they asked me
if I would be interested to do the job. "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. "I actually asked them [if I
could] think about it for a few hours and I hung up the phone.
"It's difficult to digest, but the first thing that then comes into
your mind, you say: 'Well, wait a second - it's Red Bull. They are
calling you, they ask you to step in to do that job. "With
everything that Red Bull means, it's energy, it's spirit, how they
go about their racing teams. "That's how you pick up the phone and
you say, of course, it's an honour, it's a privilege." Laurent
Mekies hails 'supportive' Christian Horner Mekies' arrival as
Racing Bulls team principal in 2024 did not mark his first time
working for the team, having previously enjoyed a stint as an
engineer from 2006 to 2014. Mekies outlined Horner was central to
getting him back to the Red Bull family in recent years. "The first
thought in this moment goes to Christian," he added. "It's not
something that I could have expected. "He had been nothing else but
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 mixed mix of emotion that you get at that moment. "But the
dominant one is Red Bull calling, it's then a matter of loyalty to
work towards the brand. "[I said] 'of course, if you think you need
me there, I will go there'."
