Having changed Christian Horner as Purple Bull’s workforce boss forward of the British Grand Pri, Laurent Mekies conceded that “no one goes to switch him like for like.”
Simply two days after the British Grand Prix, Purple Bull Racing introduced that workforce boss Christian Horner would go away the workforce with quick impact.
The Briton has been on the helm for nearly your entire workforce’s historical past in F1 however his exit follows a few troublesome years of inside struggles since Purple Bull proprietor Dietrich Mateschitz handed away.
Horner has been answerable for Purple Bull because the workforce entered the game in 2025, serving as workforce principal for 20 years. Throughout that point, the 51-year-old Briton has led Purple Bull to 6 constructors’ and eight drivers’ world championship titles.
Purple Bull elected to advertise Laurent Mekies to guide the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Mekies started his profession at Arrows earlier than working as a race engineer at Minardi. He was promoted to chief engineer at Toro Rosso previous to changing into the protection director and, later, deputy race director on the FIA.
Previous to his time with Purple Bull GmbH, he served as sporting director and deputy workforce principal at Ferrari from 2018 to 2023.
Requested whether or not he spoken to Christian Horner since taken on the job and whether or not he feels beneath stress to fill his sneakers each on and off the monitor, Mekies mentioned: “At first, sure, we have now spoken. He has been nothing else than supportive even within the extraordinarily tough context for him. He was the primary one to textual content, he was the primary one to name.
“I believe, once more this morning or yesterday we texted once more. He has been nothing else than supportive, which could be very spectacular within the context. No one goes to switch his character.
“No one goes to switch him like for like. I are available in to do the CEO and workforce principal job. Is there any manner one can do it in the identical manner as Christian? No. Or no less than, actually not me. However we’ll be counting on the unimaginable strengths that there are on this workforce. All people is stepping up.
“It’s actually a chance to search for much more empowerment of our individuals. Each time we have now discussions with Jonathan, we discuss how a lot power in depth you have got on this workforce, and that’s what you discover.
“We will definitely take a look at this part as a option to get our unimaginable individuals to step up and create collectively the following aggressive benefit for the following regulation part.”
Pressed on to disclose how Purple Bull’s workforce members handled the seismic shift on the Austrian-British outfit, Mekies mentioned that everybody has been supportive.
“For certain, the primary 24 hours had been an enormous adjustment as a result of no one was anticipating it. The primary few hours after the announcement had been a shock for everybody and positively a digesting part for everybody.
“What can I say after that? I’ve solely been discovering an enormous quantity of help from everybody. They only need to go racing. They’re massively respectful, and all of us are, of the achievements which were made beneath Christian’s management.
“May I be hoping for extra help, openness from the individuals I’ve been assembly these final two weeks? No. All people has been extremely supportive, keen to open the door, keen to talk, to hear, to elucidate their limitations and strengths, how we go subsequent about going again to the racetrack and combating at a good larger degree tomorrow. That’s what I’ve discovered.”
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