What sets Laurent Mekies apart as new Red Bull boss, revealed by Marko

Helmut Marko has revealed that it’s Laurent Mekies engineering talent that makes him such a strong leader at Red Bull Racing.

The Red Bull Racing advisor also noted that the Frenchman has made “a very good debut.”

Helmut Marko praises Laurent Mekies engineering talent

The F1 2025 season has brought with it plenty of twists and turns, but none quite as surprising as the sudden sacking of long-time Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal Christian Horner after the conclusion of the British Grand Prix.

It followed a challenging downturn in performance for the team based in Milton Keynes, and it came as a shock in large part because Horner had been at the helm of the team since its very first season in Formula 1 in 2005.

In his place is Laurent Mekies, whose history in Formula 1 includes stints with Arrows, Toro Rosso, and Ferrari. He was most recently the team principal of Racing Bulls. Following Horner’s firing, he was promoted to Red Bull Racing with his spot at the junior team filled by Alan Permane.

How has he performed thus far? Red Bull Racing special advisor Helmut Marko sounds impressed.

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In a recent interview with the F1 Insider podcast, Marko had nothing but praise for Mekies.

According to the Austrian, “Mekies made a very good debut and made intensive use of his time.

“He was active in Milton Keynes for at least 14 or more hours a day, sought contact with the leading figures and also held relevant discussions.”

That, though, is not his defining feature, as Christian Horner is understood to have regularly put in work shifts well beyond the standard 9-to-5 throughout his 20-year tenure at the team, including during the week preceding his firing.

Rather, it’s Mekies’ technical prowess that has left Marko impressed.

“What sets him apart or makes him different is that he is an excellent engineer, and the discussions focus more on technology, which was also our goal with this position,” Marko revealed.

Thus far, Mekies’ tenure at Red Bull has come with mixed fortunes. Yuki Tsunoda believes his arrival has brought a positive impact to the team, and Max Verstappen was able to secure a sprint race victory ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, though Hungary proved to be one of the team’s worst events of the year.

But no change in Formula 1 leadership is done in a vacuum, and Mekies’ real impact as Red Bull head will only be felt in the future, as he helps guide the evolution of the team’s F1 2026 machine and beyond.

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