11/07/2025 17:15
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has marked the outfit's
major leadership changes as a "new chapter", following the shock
departure of Christian Horner. It was announced on Wednesday
morning that Horner and Red Bull had parted ways after over 20
years together, with Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies having been
promoted to replace him. Mekies has become Red Bull's new team
principal and CEO, whilst Alan Permane has taken Mekies' position
as Racing Bulls team boss. In Marko's eyes, the promotions of
Mekies and Permane made "logical" sense. Permane had been Racing
Bulls' sporting director, but will lead the team into the second
half of the F1 season. As for Mekies, he finds himself in Horner's
old position just two years after re-joining the Red Bull family
from Ferrari. The Austrian outfit was eager to promote from
within, rather than replace Horner with someone from outside the
Milton Keynes-based team. "A new chapter will begin at Red Bull
Racing and the Racing Bulls in Belgium – with Laurent Mekies as
Team Principal at RBR and Alan Permane as Team Principal at the
Racing Bulls," Marko wrote in his Speedweek column. "As the
previous sporting director of the Racing Bulls, Alan was the
logical choice for us, as we didn't want to bring in anyone from
outside. Essentially, we simply expanded his previous role.
"Laurent was also a natural fit for the new job for the same
reasons: as an internal solution and also as a man with vast
experience. "Thanks to his diverse activities, including later
work with the FIA and Ferrari, Laurent has everything he needs to
lead a top team with a skilled hand."
