Horner's legacy highlighted as Mekies outlines his Red Bull leadership view
Photo: Race Pictures
Samson Ero is a Formula 1 editor at GPblog with seven years’ experience in sports media. He covers key paddock developments, offering analysis on drivers, teams, and performance trends, with work featured on leading platforms.
Laurent Mekies has drawn a clear contrast between his leadership approach and that of former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner.
The French motorsport chief, who took charge of the Milton Keynes-based outfit following Horner’s departure, offered a measured response when asked to compare their styles, choosing instead to praise his predecessor’s legacy.
Appearing on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Mekies was quick to highlight Horner’s long-standing impact on the team rather than focus on any direct comparison.
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“At first, you need to give huge credit to Christian Horner; his results speak for themselves. They have been historical. Christian was leading that team and making it grow, so hats off to what has been done,” Mekies began.
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The Red Bull team boss then downplayed the significance of leadership styles when weighed against performance outcomes.
“I don’t think leadership style matters. You can find up and down the pit lane, and in any business, very different styles of leadership. I think what matters is that, as a leader, you take care of your people, put them at the heart of the project, and give them the environment to express their talent. That’s what matters. How you do that, in which style you do that, really doesn’t… only the results will tell.”
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Mekies, who was brought in to replace Horner following a turbulent spell the Red Bull team endured for much of the first part of the 2025 campaign, largely steadied the ship, with Max Verstappen able to mount a title challenge, albeit falling short by just two points to eventual winner Lando Norris.
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Mekies delivers stark reality of Red Bull struggles
Earlier, Mekies highlighted key areas of the Red Bull team’s performance deficit compared to their rivals.
The 48-year-old, in his assessment, avoided pinpointing a single weakness in the RB22, instead stressing that the team is focused on overall performance optimisation.
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