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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Red Bull keen to turn down the noise without Christian Horner - as new boss Laurent Mekies vows to steer clear of controversy
Laurent Mekies was there early on the press conference sofa in Christian Horner 's old seat. He smiled broadly like the chat who had got the creme, which in a sense he has. The Frenchman was fluent — no Inspector Clouseau here. He was nimble of mind, and betrayed no nerves, on his media debut as Red Bull's new team principal — though admitted he prevaricated when offered the job. He was hardly controversial or duelling with his rivals down the garages, mind. He was not trying to pass himself off as a Horner tribute act. Indeed, perhaps his most revealing comment was an intention to reduce 'that noise from outside'. A dig at Horner? No, more likely a reflection of the brief outlined to him by Red Bull's Austrian Burgermeisters, from owner Mark Mateschitz down, on taking up his promotion from the stable's junior team Racing Bulls a fortnight ago, when Horner was fired without explanation. However, Mekies, a 48-year-old engineer, was bold enough to make this declaration ahead of Sunday's rain-threatened Belgian Grand Prix: 'I don't think anyone doubts what Red Bull is here to do: short-term, mid-term, long-term, it is to fight for wins and world championships. That is the mission statement.' He added: 'I have spoken (to Horner) and he has been nothing but supportive, even in the extremely difficult context for him. He was the first one to text, the first one to call, and even yesterday (Thursday), or this morning (Friday), we texted each other again. 'So, he has been nothing short of supportive which has been impressive. Nobody is going to replace his character or be a like-for-like replacement. 'Red Bull have been showing season after season they are the best in the world, and if they are not the best they are very close.' For the past couple of years in his Racing Bulls incarnation, Mekies has barely fielded a question at press conferences, but here he attracted minimally 85 per cent of the inquiries. Mekies was not told why Horner was axed. 'No,' he confirmed. 'We didn't get into the whys and why nots. But the objectives for the team were outlined. 'I got a call from Oliver (Mintzlaff, head of the division of Red Bull's parent company responsible for Formula One) and Helmut (Marko, the company's motorsport adviser) and they asked if I would be interested in the job. 'It came out of the blue. I asked if I could think about it for a few hours and I hung up the phone. 'It is difficult to digest but the first thing that comes into your mind is, well, wait a second, this is Red Bull, and they are asking you to step into that job. So you pick up the phone, and you say, 'Of course, it is an honour and a privilege'.' Before McLaren's Oscar Piastri took a dominant pole for Saturday's sprint race, Horner's old sparring partner Toto Wolff prowled the paddock, a lone Wolff now. 'He was controversial, polarising and not soft-washed,' said the Austrian of his departed adversary. Each used the other's wind-ups as a fire-lighter for his team. 'He was good from the entertainment factor, and from that perspective he will be missed. His track record speaks for itself. 'I don't think he's gone for ever. He could pop up in some other function. I need to be careful — he could rock up in the FIA. Then I'm really in the s***.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Chelsea Champions League winner hits out at 'hostile and disrespectful' former Premier League boss - and reveals he refused to speak to him in a 'Mexican standoff'
Former Chelsea star Ryan Betrand has opened up on a Premier League manager he locked horns with, which resulted in a 'Mexican standoff' and the pair not speaking. A true Premier League journeyman, Bertrand was contracted at Chelsea between 2006 and 2015 but spent just two full seasons with the Blues, enduring loan periods in each of the other seven. Eventually, the left back settled at Southampton in 2015, where he went on to make more appearances than he did for his seven previous clubs combined. But it was during his fifth season with the Saints where Bertrand, aged 29 at the time, became unsettled. The Cobham academy graduate detailed how the introduction of Ralph Hasenhutll in 2018 eventually led to a silent stand-off, with Bertrand having to consult club chiefs to find out what the manager's issue with him was. Betrand noted that he eventually resolved his differences with Hasenhutll, before explaining how the Austrian's 'egotistical' and 'authoritarian' approach caused tension in the squad. 'To be honest, I have a lot of respect for him [Hasenhutll]. I really like him, he's a really good guy,' Bertrand told Business of Sport. 'But at the start, he came in fully egotistical, thinking anyone 30 plus, 28 plus [years old] is the enemy because they can't learn new things. 'It's his way or the highway, everyone needs to listen, there's no talking back. He was so paranoid of other people making him look like he's not the No 1. He confused feedback for talking back, he had such an authoritarian approach.' Bertrand went on to explain an incident where Hasenhutll took him off at the end of a match that Southampton were losing, rather than keeping all attacking players on the pitch and opting to substitute a centre back. Bertrand respectfully confronted the manager a day after the game and asked for an explanation behind the decision. He described Hasenhutll's reaction as 'hostile' and revealed that they never spoke much after the conversation. Instead, Bertrand was punished by being inexplicably left out of the lineup on multiple ocassions. Bertrand continued: 'He was playing people like, Moussa Djenepo, he was playing him [at] left back. He was playing Kevin Danso [at] left back. Centre backs [at] left back, wingers [at] left back - anything to provoke a reaction out of me.' Bertrand insisted that Hasenhutll's antics did not get to him, and that he decided to get his head down in training, as his main objective was to win. Hasenhuttl left Southampton in 2022 to join VfB Wolfsburg, where he was sacked this May After some time, the player spoke to one of the club directors and asked what was going on. It was then revealed that Hasenhutll felt aggrieved by Bertrand's decision to question his in-game management. Bertrand then revealed that Hasenhuttl's behaviour took a remarkable U-turn towards the latter stages of his managerial tenure. The 35-year-old said: 'Towards the end, he went full circle. He ended up being more personable, talking to everyone, trying to be people's best mate, had more of a character.' Bertrand did not have time for this, though, and felt slighted by the fact that Hassenhuttl had already 'killed' his game. He added: 'I just thought "you weren't worth my time because at the start you were very disrespectful". He was killing my game at Southampton. I had to stay back.' Bertrand moved to Leicester in 2021 on a two-year contract and left the club as a free agent upon the expiration of his deal. A year later, he announced his retirement. But he attributes the narrative that he was 'getting on a bit' at Southampton to Hasenhuttl forcing him to stay back and not join the attack. Betrand made 485 senior appearances across his 17-year career. Currently, there is no word of him returning to a role in football, as he has pivoted his attention to the world of business. Hasenhuttl, meanwhile, left Southampton in 2022 to join Wolfsburg, where he was sacked this May.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Oscar Piastri sets new record in Belgian GP sprint qualifying
Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix, setting a new lap record at Spa-Francorchamps. The championship leader, who holds an eight-point lead over teammate Lando Norris, was over half a second faster than Max Verstappen, who qualified second. Piastri expressed his satisfaction, stating the car felt "mega" and that Spa is his favourite track. Lewis Hamilton will start 18th after spinning at the final chicane during qualifying, with replays suggesting a mechanical issue. Max Verstappen was content with second place despite the large gap to Piastri, while neither Mercedes driver made the top-10 shootout.
