Follow us on Google Discover Martin Brundle is ‘very impressed’ with Laurent Mekies’ start as Red Bull team principal. The outlook of the team’s season has totally changed since Mekies took over from Christian Horner.
Max Verstappen had ruled himself out of title contention, but while a 35-point gap to Lando Norris with four races remaining is still significant, he now believes he has a chance.
Red Bull’s aggressive upgrade plan has also brought them back into play for P2 in the constructors’, with Ferrari just 10 points ahead. Mekies must get consistent production out of Yuki Tsunoda – one of the things he’s yet to manage – if he wants to steal second place.
Position Constructors’ Standings PointsPts 1 713 2 356 3 355 4 346
The former Racing Bulls boss has refused to take any credit for the turnaround, but Brundle, who was speaking on the Sky Sports ‘F1 Show’ podcast, has applauded him for showing absolutely no ‘ego’.
Laurent Mekies has shown Christian Horner that F1 has changed
Mekies previously worked for Ferrari as racing director, but becoming Red Bull boss brought a level of pressure he’d never experienced, particularly in the wake of Horner. Having joined the team before their 2005 debut, he delivered 14 championships in 20 years.
But Horner’s departure may underscore a shift within Formula 1 management circles. As Brundle points out, teams are finding more success with ‘an engineering background’.
McLaren’s two-time title-winner Andrea Stella is at the forefront of this trend, but virtually every team on the grid is now led by a former engineer, with Mercedes (Toto Wolff) and Alpine (Flavio Briatore) the only exceptions.
“Very impressed, of course,” Brundle said of Mekies. “He’s handling it in a very mature way – ego absolutely non-existent, parked.
“We’re seeing a new type of team principal these days, aren’t we? That’s why Christian wouldn’t want to come back as a team principal, I think.
“More of an engineering background seems to be the way to tie together these vast quantities of highly specialised people in a team. He’s got help with the politics, with Helmut Marko and others.”
How much would it cost Christian Horner to set up a 12th F1 team?
Having spoken to the former Red Bull chief, Brundle says it’s ‘absolutely clear’ that Horner will only come back to F1 if he gets a stake in a team. He may oversee the bigger picture while deferring day-to-day control to a senior engineer.
If he can’t reach a satisfactory deal with one of the existing outfits, then Horner could set up his own team. It’s believed that this will cost around £333m, but crucially, he’s already lining up financial backing.
Under the terms of his separation with Red Bull, Horner can return to F1 from next spring. Many teams may be waiting to see how they fare under the new regulations before considering structural change.
Horner was recently linked to Ferrari, but the story has gone quiet after chairman John Elkann publicly backed Fred Vasseur.