Visa Cash App RB’s Laurent Mekies has been roped in to replace Christian Horner as the Red Bull F1 team principal in a big move.
Early on Wednesday, reports emerged about Horner being announced to be leaving the Red Bull team, to people at Milton Keynes. Within a hour of the stories, the F1 team confirmed the departure of its longtime team principal with immediate effect.
They brought in the current team principal at Visa Cash App RB, Mekies, to replace Horner, who will make his first public appearance from Belgian GP onward. The move comes at a time when Red Bull is somewhat struggling to deliver results.
After the dominance in 2023, Red Bull has found itself in a bad phase where they lost Adrian Newey to Aston Martin. The results dipped where Max Verstappen continued to out drive the car, but the second seat saw chopping and changing.
Horner leaves the Red Bull post just when he reached 20 years after starting out with the F1 team in 2005 when the outfit started its big journey. As Mekies replaces the Brit, his position will be taken over by the team’s Racing Director, Alan Permane.
Red Bull has no quote from Horner, but the company’s CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said: “We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years. With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1.
“Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history. And of course, welcome Laurent, we wish you all the best in this new venture.”
Mekies stated: “The last year and a half has been an absolute privilege to lead the team with Peter. It has been an amazing adventure to contribute to the birth of Racing Bulls together with all our talented people. The spirit of the whole team is incredible, and I strongly believe that this is just the beginning. Alan is the perfect man to take over now and continue our path. He knows the team inside out and has always been an important pillar of our early successes.”
And Permane added: “I feel very honoured to take on the role as Team Principal and would like to thank Oliver and Helmut for the trust they have shown in me. I am looking forward to working with Peter to continue the good work that both him and Laurent have done in taking this team forward. This is a new challenge for me, but I know that I can count on the support of everyone within them.”
UPDATE: Since the announcement early in the day, Red Bull finally released their statement in the evening, confirming Mekies not just the CEO but also team principal. Also, Max Verstappen shared his thoughts on Horner’s departure too.
“Over the last year and a half it has been an absolute privilege to lead Visa Cash App Racing Bulls and I would like to thank all of our talented people both in Faenza and Milton Keynes. Looking to the future, I am excited to be taking on the role of CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, one of the most successful and dynamic teams in the sport,” said Mekies.
“It’s an honour to be part of this group of brilliant people that embody the Red Bull spirit. Together we will achieve great results, building on the incredible legacy left by Christian Horner during his two decades in charge.”
Verstappen added: “From my first race win, to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records. Thank you for everything, Christian!”
Here’s Visa Cash App RB pair on British GP
Here’s Max Verstappen on British GP
