Laurent Mekies given reduced Red Bull responsibilities

Laurent Mekies’ responsibilities at Red Bull have lessened compared to those of former F1 team principal Christian Horner.

Horner was the face of Red Bull’s operations over his 20 year tenure as team boss, from defending his drivers in the media to his role as director.

Speaking to German-language publication Sport1, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that Mekies’ role will be much more streamlined and will take on reduced responsibilities compared to Horner.

“Laurent Mekies has made a very good debut, is seeking contact with the management and is holding discussions,” Marko said.

"He's an excellent engineer and focuses heavily on technology. That was also our goal: He doesn't have to worry about marketing, PR, or Red Bull Powertrains, that all remains independent. His focus is entirely on the racing team."

A new dawn for Red Bull in F1

As F1 teams and their operations expand, the role of team principal has transformed over the years with successful outfits such as McLaren splitting their duties between their lead personnel.

While Zak Brown focuses on the commercial and business side of McLaren, Andrea Stella is much more focused on the technical and operational running of the F1 team - which will presumably be a similar undertaking for Mekies.

Whether this replicates McLaren’s success remains to be seen, with Red Bull’s performance in 2026 very much reliant on their brand new engine programme Red Bull Powertrains.

The engine programme will be in the hands of Ben Hodgkinson, whom Marko has confidence in to deliver results for Red Bull, although was honest about the great unknown ahead in 2026.

"An excellent man. We're on track, but with the new parameters, it's difficult to say who will be ahead in 2026,” Marko continued.

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