Laurent Mekies has fitted in well at Red Bull since the shock sacking of long-time team principal Christian Horner.
The news came as a surprise to many, not least Mekies, who, for the first time in Belgium, reacted to the media by explaining that he had initially declined the job when asked by Red Bull.
Mekies was called by Red Bull management and told them he would think about it, before putting the phone down, and then calling them back to accept the role.
Carlos Sainz thinks Mekies is the “perfect fit” for Red Bull, having worked with him at Ferrari, but Ted Kravitz has highlighted one change he won’t be making when speaking on Sky Sports F1.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesTed Kravitz says Laurent Mekies will not be moving full-time to Milton Keynes
Mekies comes from France, having studied there to gain his degree in engineering, but there were questions over whether he would move to the UK.
Similarly, with Racing Bulls, their new team principal is now Alan Permane, and he is based in the UK. Kravitz says neither has plans to move closer to their team’s bases any time soon.
“The strange thing about Alan Permane is that he’s an English guy in charge of an Italian team, and we understand he’s not going to move to Faenza to be full-time in the Racing Bulls factory that used to be Minardi,” said Kravitz.
“Laurent Mekies is a Frenchman in charge of an English team and we believe he isn’t going to move full time from wherever he lives in Milton Keynes.”
Red Bull sees first piece of success under Laurent Mekies at Belgian Grand Prix
The first bit of success for Mekies came over the Belgian GP weekend when Max Verstappen won the Sprint race on the Saturday.
Verstappen powered past Oscar Piastri on the opening lap, utilising his superior straight-line speed down the Kemmel Straight.
Piastri could not overtake Verstappen for the lead, with the McLaren driver going on to finish in second place while the Dutchman won his first race under Mekies.
Things were different for the Grand Prix as Verstappen opted for a wet setup, which impacted his ability to overtake. F1 fans also criticised Red Bull for their handling of Yuki Tsunoda, having pitted him too late and cost him places.