New Crimson Bull Racing CEO and workforce principal Laurent Mekies says his first job is to “uncover the magic” throughout the workforce by assembly personnel, earlier than specializing in the problem of the 2026 laws.
Mekies changed Christian Horner on Wednesday, with Horner being faraway from his place after over 20 years working the Formulation 1 workforce. Stepping up from Racing Bulls, Mekies – who was talking throughout a filming day at Silverstone – stated he nonetheless wants to fulfill as most of the employees as potential earlier than the Belgian Grand Prix, to know how the workforce operates.
“The subsequent step, what you can’t wait to do, is to fulfill the folks,” Mekies stated. “It has been not even a day now, so I simply cannot wait to fulfill as many individuals as potential from this unbelievable workforce. You wish to uncover the magic, to fulfill the fellows and the women which can be doing the magic behind the scenes.
“That is what the subsequent few weeks will probably be devoted to – to attempt to meet as a lot of our folks as potential, to hearken to them, to attempt to perceive this lovely magic machine that’s Crimson Bull Formulation 1 and ultimately discover methods to contribute and to help [it].”
Mekies says his impression of Crimson Bull from the surface has at all times been of a workforce filled with world-class abilities, and that he’s eager to make sure they will function on the highest stage shifting ahead.
“I nonetheless take a look at these guys as most individuals exterior of the workforce take a look at them. We take a look at you guys and we see the perfect folks on this planet at what they do. That is what this workforce is. Even from being a competitor beforehand, we take a look at [Red Bull] as being the sharpest workforce, having managed to build up the largest quantity of abilities collectively.
“We aren’t underestimating the problem forward. Formulation 1 goes to face most likely the largest change of regulation in its historical past, and it has a really specific place for Crimson Bull as we go along with our personal energy models. So it should be an unbelievable problem, and we’ll want everybody to go about all of it collectively.”
As for Horner’s legacy at Crimson Bull, Mekies identified that his personal earlier position at Racing Bulls got here with Horner’s approval.
“The primary ideas are for Christian. It nonetheless feels a bit unreal to be right here and to not see him,” he stated. “It could be not possible to underestimate the dimensions of the achievement that this workforce has had beneath 20 years of Christian’s management.
“I met him 20 years in the past when he was the youngest workforce principal in Formulation 1. It is unbelievable to see how he has turned this place to the extent at which it’s now – and in that journey, the numerous, many titles and wins. Christian can also be the man that, along with Helmut [Marko, team advisor] and Oliver [Mintzlaff, CEO], introduced me again into the Crimson Bull household two years in the past. All the primary ideas are actually for him at present.”
