Red Bull urged to ‘rethink’ Christian Horner replacement as F1 U-turn revealed

Christian Horner’s F1 replacement Laurent Mekies has revealed that he originally urged Red Bull to ‘rethink’ their decision to hire him as team principal.

Horner’s axe after 20 years at Red Bull may have come as a shock, but Mekies has an equally long and extensive list of experience in F1, ranging from Red Bull's early years with Toro Rosso, Ferrari and even the FIA.

Mekies’ experience would have undoubtedly persuaded team bosses Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko that he was the right man for Red Bull, but following the promotion, Mekies has revealed he originally tried to deter them from hiring him.

Speaking to the media including GPFans at Friday’s press conference in Spa, Mekies explained: "I got a call a few hours before you guys were made aware. I got a call from Oliver [Mintzlaff] and Helmut [Marko], and they asked me if I would be interested to do the job.

"Obviously, it came out of the blue at that moment for me. I was actually in the UK at Racing Bulls and it came in a completely unexpected way.

"I actually asked them to think about it for a few hours and hung up the phone. It’s difficult to digest."

Mekies sheds light on Red Bull replacement

The Frenchman proceeded to explain why he decided to make a U-turn on his decision after initially prompting Red Bull to rethink the switch, saying: "The first thing that comes into your mind is, 'Wait a second. It’s Red Bull. They are calling you.

"They ask you to step in to do that job, with everything that Red Bull means – its energy, its spirit, how they go about their racing teams and that’s how you pick up the phone and you say, 'Of course, it’s an honour. It’s a privilege.'"

Though the former Racing Bulls boss may have taken the team up on the promotion, he added that Horner did cross his mind when evaluating his decision.

"First thought obviously goes in this moment as well to Christian because it’s not something I could have expected. And he had been nothing else than extremely supportive with me these last two years," Mekies admitted.

"It’s not a secret that he’s the one with Oliver and Helmut that brought me back to the Red Bull family a couple of years ago. So that’s the sort of mix of emotions you get at that moment. But as I said, the dominant one is: it’s Red Bull calling.

"I guess it’s a matter of loyalty to go towards the brand and you just say, 'Of course, if you think you need me there, I will go there.'"

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