Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner has been sacked, replaced by Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies, according to multiple reports.
Horner has been in charge of Red Bull since 2005, leading the team to six Constructors’ and eight Drivers’ Championships. He is two years removed from being one race win away from a clean sweep season with Red Bull.
Horner was fired in part due to the “uneasy relationship between Horner and the Verstappens”, and a divided Red Bull team under Horner’s stewardship, reported Craig Slater on Sky Sports.
He is replaced by Racing Bulls Team Principal, Mekies, who has seen his fair share of controversy during his F1 career.
Laurent Mekies rises through the ranks of Toro Rosso
Mekies joined Formula One as a race engineer at Minardi in 2002, before the team was acquired by Red Bull to become Toro Rosso.
During the change of ownership, Mekies was appointed chief engineer, then went on to take the role of the head of vehicle performance.
Mekies was a part of the Toro Rosso team that won Red Bull legend Sebastian Vettel his first race at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, one of the most memorable races in F1 history under the pouring rain at Monza.
Laurent Mekies joins the FIA, before controversial Ferrari move
At the start of the F1 turbo-hybrid era in 2014, Mekies joined the FIA to become their safety director.
He was then appointed as deputy race director in 2017, working with the legendary Charlie Whiting, who he was viewed as a potential successor to.
However, those plans were scuppered as 2018 saw controversy surrounding Mekies, as he joined Ferrari’s technical team which forced him to step down from his role in the FIA.
That started a controversy in the paddock, as his time at the FIA would have provided him insight into every team which could be used to benefit Ferrari.
Ferrari engine drama leads to Laurent Mekies promotion
In the first year with his new team, controversy once again came to Mekies’ doorstep. Claims were made that the 2019 Ferrari’s power unit was illegal, as the car suddenly became the fastest on the grid in a straight line.
A private settlement was agreed between the FIA and Ferrari ahead of the 2020 season, and suddenly, Ferrari’s straight-line performance was affected, confirming other teams’ suspicions of foul play.
Mekies, however, was promoted the following year to deputy team principal and racing director, a role he kept until 2023.
Laurent Mekies returns to Red Bull as Racing Bulls team principal
10 years removed from leaving Red Bull’s sister team, then called Toro Rosso, Mekies returned as team principal for the newly-named Racing Bulls team.
It was a turbulent time for both Red Bull teams, which Mekies had to oversee in part. He saw the departure of Daniel Ricciardo for Liam Lawson midway through the 2024 season as the team finished eighth in the Constructors’ Championship.
This season, Liam Lawson was promoted to Red Bull for only two races, before Lawson was swapped out for Yuki Tsunoda. However, Mekies’ team have produced incredible performances so far this season, and RB have a faster car than Red Bull, according to McLaren boss Zak Brown.
Racing Bulls’ performances have earned Mekies a promotion following Horner’s departure.