From chaos to calm: Mekies brings new energy to Red Bull

One by one, Laurent Mekies went down the line; journalists who had taken a front row seat for his first big press conference as team boss of Red Bull Racing, all received a firm handshake from the Frenchman. Everyone was welcomed with a smile in the press room of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Of course, it is only his first few weeks at the helm of the Austrian team, but this small detail already shows that a style change has taken place at Red Bull. While Horner was of course responsible as team boss for the big successes of the racing team, he was also a personality that provoked resistance from enough people in the paddock.

If you run into Mekies in the paddock the first few days since his promotion at Racing Bulls, you see someone who seems to have no enemies. Whoever you speak to, Mekies is regarded as an extraordinarily nice and very competent man.

No one doubts that this is the right successor to Horner to get Red Bull back into calm waters and who can set the course for renewed success. Someone who ought to be able to remove all doubts surrounding Max Verstappen and thus keep the Dutchman in the team.

Jonathan Wheatley is, for example, full of praise for Mekies. The team boss at Sauber, who was long considered the successor to Horner, is genuinely happy for his friend Mekies, as he indicated several times during the busy press event in Spa.

In turn, Mekies regularly gave the British team principal an affectionate tap on the shoulders, showing his appreciation for the kind words that were spoken to him.

It is no secret that there are plenty of people within Red Bull Racing who are struggling with the dismissal of Horner, who had always been good to them. Mekies admitted that there was an odd atmosphere in the factory in Milton Keynes for the first 24 hours after the Brit's completely unexpected dismissal.

But - said Mekies - that lasted a day, after which everyone went back to work, trying to make Red Bull the top team it was two years ago. No doubt that the way Mekies presents himself internally contributes to the speed with which the Horner chapter is closed and Mekies conquers his place within the organization.

Towards the end of the press conference, Mekies was asked how long he gets at Red Bull. It was to be expected that the Frenchman would not answer this question. And indeed, he didn't.

But if the Frenchman manages to maintain the first impressions, then he is definitely someone for the long term and is probably the missing link in the current Red Bull team.