Who are the 2025 F1 Team Principals and how long have they been in charge?

F1 is a tough business, just ask Christian Horner.

The 51-year-old was sacked with immediate effect halfway through the 2025 F1 season having served as Red Bull team principal since the team entered the championship in 2005.

With half a season to go, former Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies was promoted to the role of Red Bull CEO and replaced Horner as the team's new F1 boss.

So how has the reshuffle of management within the Milton Keynes-based squad impacted the rest of the grid?

As things stand Toto Wolff has now taken over the title of being the longest-serving principal in F1, having led the Silver Arrows to record-breaking success for 12 years.

Here is all you need to know about the new additions to F1's most exclusive club and how long they have been in their new role.

Who are the new F1 team principals after Horner Red Bull axe

Laurent Mekies- Red Bull

Mekies served as the team principal for Red Bull's junior F1 team Racing Bulls since the beginning of 2024, but has now been handed a promotion to the main after Horner's dismissal.

Mekies first entered F1 when Peugeot recruited him as an engineer for its engine programme, a role which then led to a move to the Arrows F1 team where he was responsible for engine performance between 2001 and 2002.

Then, the Frenchman joined Minardi as a race engineer, beginning a 12-year tenure in Faenza. When the team transitioned to Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2006, he became Chief Engineer, overseeing all trackside operations - from car assembly at the factory to race-day execution.

He later took on the role of Head of Vehicle Performance, leading six departments focused on optimising car performance.

After a stint with the FIA which began in 2014, Mekies returned to F1 in 2018 to Ferrari, where he worked as Sporting Director for the Scuderia. He expanded his remit in 2019 to include Head of Track & Performance Area, and in 2021 was promoted to Racing Director.

Having left in 2023, he promoted up the management chain once again to become team principal at VCARB, which put him in the position to replace Horner in 2025.

Alan Permane- Racing Bulls

Permane began his career in motorsport in 1989 as a test electronics engineer for the Benetton F1 team where he later worked alongside the likes of Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella.

In 2007, the Brit was promoted to chief race engineer, before then cementing himself as an Enstone legend by working his way up to the role of sporting director in 2012.

Permane remained in that role with the team most recently known as Alpine, but was released from his position in July 2023.

After a year out of F1, Permane became racing director at VCARB, the team now known as Racing Bulls, with the latest management reshuffle working out well in his favour as he takes on his first team principal role for the remainder of 2025.

F1 Team Principals 2025

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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