Ford CEO Farley praises Laurent Mekies: "Exactly the right man"

(Motorsport-Total.com) - Ford CEO Jim Farley has commented on the personnel restructuring at Red Bull Racing, making a clear commitment to Laurent Mekies. The Frenchman took over the dual role of Team Principal and CEO at the beginning of July from Christian Horner, who stepped down after two decades at the helm.

The move comes during a period of profound change: the partnership with Honda ends at the end of 2025, and from 2026, Red Bull will use its own powertrains with Ford in Formula 1. The team has also recently had to cope with prominent departures from technical staff, including Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.

Farley emphasizes, however, that he sees Mekies as the right man for this transition. "Oh, I think it's great. I can feel it here," he tells Sky .

"As a leader, I'm convinced that you have to understand things with your eyes and ears. And I clearly see the influence Laurent has on the stability of the team."

Above all, the technical expertise of the former Ferrari sporting director is a plus: "He's a technical person, which is exactly right for the change in 2026. He is absolutely the right leader. We are completely behind him, and I can feel what that means here in the team."

The first sporting signal followed promptly: At the Italian Grand Prix, Red Bull celebrated its first victory since Mekies' promotion, with Max Verstappen dominating the high-speed Monza circuit. Mekies himself downplayed his contribution.

" The contribution is zero —and that's no joke," he explains. "There are 1,500 people working to make this car faster."

"It's these additional forces that make the car faster, the hundredths and thousandths of a second that make the options and new components available. So the short answer is zero."

Red Bull currently sits fourth in the Constructors' Championship with 239 points, already 378 points behind leader McLaren. But their sights are already set on 2026—with a new engine, new partner, and new leadership.