The sporting resurgence of Max Verstappen in the second half of the season was largely due to him. The man who speaks like Inspector Clouseau, but who is already being lauded by everyone within Red Bull Racing due to his academic background and technical knowledge. Enter Laurent Mekies. A portrait.
Former Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers worked closely with Mekies during his time at Minardi in 2005, where Mekies served as a race engineer. When Mekies took over from the dismissed Christian Horner after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July of this year, Albers immediately spoke of a good choice.
Albers praises his knowledge and experience, but also describes the Frenchman as a breath of fresh air, especially compared to a political animal like Horner. “Mekies is open, honest, calm, empathetic, always polite, and has morals and values. You can always turn to him, and that creates trust. I hope he gets the time to make sure the people in the team start feeling happy again and he can start building. Because this is quite a job.”
In addition to sporting achievements on the track, Mekies (48 years old, born in Tours) is also expected to bring about a cultural change at Red Bull Racing. The one does not go without the other, so the thought goes. Especially in the past two years, the Austrian racing stable under Horner and his loyal British followers has turned into a tense club with poisoned relationships on the work floor, resulting in the departure of key people like Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, and Rob Marshall.
However, Mekies has the gift of empowering people. “He gets along well with people, there’s also a completely different atmosphere than before,” says Helmut Marko shortly after Mekies’ appointment in July.
Clear Hierarchy
Under his predecessor Horner, there was a clear hierarchy within the team, with the Brit firmly pulling all the strings. Mekies has a completely different, softer leadership style. He is calm, modest, and gives people on the shop floor all the space and trust. “I want to inspire people and enable them to perform optimally. That’s what leadership means to me.”
The Frenchman has a broad background in motorsport, which has helped him develop his own style over the years. After studying mechanical engineering at ESTACA (Higher Technical School for Aerospace and Automotive Engineering) in Paris and subsequently his master’s degree at the University of Loughborough in England, he began his career 25 years ago with an internship at Red Bull Racing’s Formula 3 team.
Subsequently, Mekies started as a young, ambitious engineer at engine supplier Asiatech, which at the time supplied power units to Arrows, the Formula 1 team where Jos Verstappen drove that season. From 2002, Mekies worked successively as a race engineer (at Minardi, which later became Toro Rosso) and as Head of Vehicle Performance. In the latter role, he led six departments. Then his career accelerated. Via the FIA and Ferrari, he ended up back at the old nest (albeit with a new name), at Racing Bulls, and officially debuted as team boss.
Considerable Doubts
His appointment fits a trend of recent years, where engineers are taking over the leadership of F1 stables. Think of Frédéric Vasseur at Ferrari, Ayao Komatsu at Haas, and James Vowles at Williams. However, there are considerable doubts about his promotion to Red Bull as Horner’s successor. After all, running a relatively small team is a completely different order of magnitude than managing a top team in crisis, like Red Bull Racing.
The Frenchman himself remains calm about this. “In the end, it’s the same thing that drives you: interaction with people. Even if you’re not running a team or a small team, your first challenge will still be to integrate with the engineers around you and other stakeholders. Whether it’s the drivers or anyone else. You know, for me, the common thread has always really been the human aspect.”
Shifting Sentiment
With his approach, Mekies quickly manages to shift the sentiment, not least because of the open support from father and son Verstappen. Where there was speculation for months about an interim departure of Max Verstappen, calm also returns on that front. The Verstappens and Mekies seem to click well together.
“Laurent is a very smart guy. I get along well with him and because of his technical background, he asks the right questions to the engineers,” says Max Verstappen. A significant change is also that Mekies places more value on the feelings and judgement of the drivers, especially Max Verstappen, and that the simulator data is less leading.
It is telling that Jos Verstappen remarks that since Mekies’ appointment, there is more laughter and better listening. “Mekies is a top technician, which is a huge advantage given the enormous complexity of Formula 1,” Marko also believes.
The Turnaround
The results do the rest. Mekies starts his task in the summer when the constructors’ championship is already lost and Max Verstappen is 61 points behind the world championship leader, at that time Oscar Piastri. The first races under Mekies quickly improve the atmosphere, but not yet the results on the track. In fact, after the Dutch GP in Zandvoort, the gap has even increased to an almost insurmountable 104 points. But then comes the turnaround, with a series of good results for Verstappen, leading to a breathtaking finale in the desert.
It is noteworthy that Mekies puts other people in the spotlight. Modest as he is, Mekies himself usually prefers a role in the background. Unlike his predecessor, he does not have a big ego. For many, both inside and outside the team, this last aspect feels like a breath of fresh air.
A Huge Asset
Meanwhile, Mekies is already looking ahead to next season, when a new engine regulation will be in force in Formula 1 and the grid’s balance will be completely upset. Red Bull will then also be relying on a power source of its own making, from Red Bull Powertrains. Where Verstappen has expressed his confidence in Mekies and has shown loyalty to Red Bull Racing, Mekies reciprocates.
“Red Bull’s ambition remains unchanged, with a focus on continuity, collaboration, and maintaining high standards,” he says. “Max is a huge asset in the car and beyond. He is part of the project. He is not on the outside, he is driving the project from within every day. If we can give him the car he desires, then we can cross out all other options.”
If it’s up to Laurent Mekies, his collaboration with Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing has only just begun.
