Life After Horner: What Laurent Mekies Brings to the New-Look Red Bull

Laurent Mekies Set to Lead Red Bull into a Post-Horner Era in Formula 1

A new era has quietly dawned at Red Bull Racing. Gone is the bombastic, ever-present figure of Christian Horner, and in his place stands Laurent Mekies — an engineer by trade, calm by nature, and ready to steer one of Formula 1’s most iconic teams through a period of reinvention.

At 48, Mekies isn’t new to the F1 paddock. He brings with him over two decades of experience from various corners of the sport: the FIA, Ferrari, and most recently, a stint with Red Bull’s junior team. But now he steps onto the main stage — team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing — following Horner’s dramatic exit, which came just three days after the British Grand Prix amid months of internal tension and public controversy.

Mekies inherits a team still licking its wounds after a slow unravelling of dominance that once looked unshakable. But while his job is to lead Red Bull back to the top of the grid, he’s choosing a measured approach. At least for now, he says, it’s all about listening.

Red Bull’s Decline and the Timing of Mekies‘ Arrival

Max Verstappen – Mekies

The timing of Mekies’ appointment is more than symbolic. Red Bull, while still fiercely competitive, has been losing its grip at the front. Max Verstappen — the face of the team’s recent era of success — has struggled to keep pace with the resurgent McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in recent months. The aura of invincibility that once surrounded the team has dimmed.

The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, where the team is expected to perform well thanks to the high-speed nature of the circuit, offers Mekies a soft landing. Verstappen’s pole position at Silverstone earlier this month, and his proven track record at flowing tracks like Suzuka, suggest that a good result is possible.

But let’s not be fooled. Even if Red Bull win in Belgium, it won’t mean their troubles are behind them. The issues Mekies faces go far beyond car performance — they’re structural, cultural, and deeply embedded.

Red Bull Without Horner — and Without Newey

Christian Horner’s departure wasn’t just about performance. It followed months of speculation, internal rifts, and the eventual loss of some of the team’s key personnel. Among them: design supremo Adrian Newey, whose departure arguably marked the true turning point in Red Bull’s recent decline.

Horner had built Red Bull around Newey’s creative genius. The design and engineering team was tuned like an orchestra to play to the strengths of its maestro. But with Newey gone — and other senior figures like sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and head of strategy Will Courtenay either having left or heading for the exit — the team is now in unfamiliar territory.

In a short video released by Red Bull, Mekies spoke of wanting to “discover the magic” of the team. It’s not a bad place to start. After all, this is still the organisation that produced one of the most dominant F1 cars of all time just two seasons ago.

He’s already begun spending time at the team’s Milton Keynes base, getting to know the staff and understanding the inner workings of a team still packed with elite talent. But now, without Newey’s guiding hand or Horner’s ever-tight grip on control, the challenge is to reassemble the puzzle and create something new.

Laurent Mekies: A Different Kind of Leader

Christian Horner and Laurent Mekies chat

So, what exactly does Mekies bring that Red Bull didn’t already have? For starters, he’s not a traditional showman-style boss. Where Horner was sharp-tongued, confrontational, and always centre-stage, Mekies appears soft-spoken, collaborative, and quietly confident. He’s said his first priority is “listening to the people” to understand what makes the team tick before making changes.

It’s a style that contrasts sharply with Horner’s. Mekies isn’t interested in control for its own sake. Instead, he positions himself more like McLaren’s Andrea Stella — what Zak Brown calls a “technical team principal.” Someone who speaks the language of engineers, understands the demands of design, and can help coax innovation out of those around him.

And in many ways, it’s a welcome shift. Red Bull, under Horner, had developed something of a siege mentality. The controversies surrounding Horner — from his feud with Jos Verstappen, to the ongoing sexual misconduct allegations (which he has always denied), to the internal exodus of talent — had fostered an us-against-the-world attitude that started to consume the team from within.

A New Culture, a New Red Bull?

Every team reflects the culture of its leader, and Red Bull under Horner was no exception. Brash, relentless, divisive — but effective. For years, they walked the tightrope of controversy and success, never far from either the podium or the headlines.

Now, Mekies has the chance to rewrite that culture. The shareholders at Red Bull reportedly felt the team had lost touch with its original spirit — the fun, the energy, the daring. Mekies may be exactly the kind of personality to restore some of that without compromising the performance edge.

He also has existing relationships with several key figures in the team, including technical director Pierre Wache and head of engineering Paul Monaghan. That familiarity could prove vital as he works to stabilise the environment and reestablish cohesion across departments.

But make no mistake: this won’t be easy. Red Bull’s rivals are catching up fast, especially McLaren and Mercedes. Even Ferrari, with Frédéric Vasseur at the helm, seems to have found renewed purpose. If Mekies wants to bring Red Bull back to the front consistently, he’ll have to do more than just restore culture — he’ll need to lead innovation, make smart hires, and navigate a sport that’s never been more competitive.

Mekies’ Red Bull: The Road Ahead

There’s no roadmap for taking over a team like Red Bull at a time like this. The team is still strong — Verstappen remains one of the most complete drivers on the grid, and the infrastructure in Milton Keynes is still world-class. But the post-Horner, post-Newey transition will test every bit of Mekies’ experience and leadership.

Will he be able to blend his technical expertise with the kind of people management required to hold together a team under pressure? Can he keep Verstappen happy and committed amid growing rumours about his long-term future? Can he stop the talent drain and bring stability back to the Red Bull garage?

Those are questions that won’t be answered in one race or even one season. But if the early signs are anything to go by, Mekies is starting his tenure with a steady hand and the right priorities.

And after years of drama, dominance, and division, that might just be exactly what Red Bull needs.