McLaren CEO Zak Brown has expressed his satisfaction with Laurent Mekies taking the helm at Red Bull. The Frenchman replaced the dismissed Christian Horner in early July, and according to the American, Formula 1 has become much ‘healthier’ since then. Brown believes that Horner had a tendency to go ‘too far’ with his political games in the paddock, while Mekies fosters a much ‘healthier competition’.
Laurent Mekies was at the pit wall for the second time as Red Bull team boss in Hungary. The Frenchman took over from the dismissed Christian Horner shortly after the British Grand Prix. McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who had occasionally clashed with the former team boss, has already noticed a significant change in the paddock since Mekies’ arrival at Red Bull.
“I’m pleased that Laurent now has this role,” Brown told The Telegraph. “I find Laurent very likable, it’s healthy for the sport and perhaps we can now focus more on the battle on the track. Of course, there’s always a political side to this sport, but it will all be a healthier competition with Laurent. I’m a fan of his, I’ve known him for a long time, and I look forward to racing against him.”
Political Games
According to Brown, it was a very different story when Horner was still in charge at Red Bull. “It sometimes went too far. Of course, political games are sometimes played – things like: ‘Let’s try to stop their use of flexi-wings‘ – but when you start making negligible accusations, it goes too far. I see at the moment in the pit lane that we are still playing political games, but these are no longer going too far. Previously, it really did go too far.”
“It’s getting better and better in the paddock,” the McLaren CEO continues. “We are increasingly united, trust each other more, while we continue to fight on the track. We can now have conversations off the track about what is good for the sport, without those conversations later being used for political purposes or taken out of context,” Brown concludes.
