Different horsepower for Horner as Red Bull enter new era
Apart from expressing surprise at the long delay in getting the race started, due to heavy rain, Mekies avoided polemic.
He blamed the team for Tsunoda's blank, saying the Japanese driver had done a great job in qualifying but was called in too late for his pit stop in a mistake that cost him three or four positions.
"After two weeks at the factory, trying to meet as many people as possible, it was nice to also meet the race team," the Frenchman said when asked to assess the weekend.
"To also enter into the race dynamics and see how the flows and processes and preparation are. That was super-good in terms of getting to know the team. As you would imagine, it's a team where everything is done at the mega level."
Horner's absence was the talk of the paddock, but by the time the circus regroups in Budapest next week, the conversation is likely to have moved on.
"I think Laurent is very good. The sport moves on quickly so it probably won't be something we're talking about come Monday," McLaren boss Zak Brown told Sky Sports television.
"He (Horner) had fantastic results. It's a shame to kind of go out the way he did."
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said earlier in the weekend he would miss his old sparring partner and Netflix Drive to Survive protagonist, in a way, and expected him to return sooner or later.
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