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Mekies Reveals Last Minute Phone Call to Replace Horner as Red Bull F1 CEO
Mekies Reveals Last Minute Phone Call to Replace Horner as Red Bull F1 CEO

Newsweek

time20 hours ago

  • Automotive
  • Newsweek

Mekies Reveals Last Minute Phone Call to Replace Horner as Red Bull F1 CEO

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The new CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing, Laurent Mekies, has opened up about the last-minute phone call he received about his promotion from the team's senior advisor, Helmut Marko, and the managing director of Red Bull GmbH, Oliver Mintzlaff, hours before the news of Christian Horner's ousting broke. Horner served Red Bull for 20 years as the team's first team principal, a partnership that saw eight drivers' titles and six Constructors' Championships. However, following a challenging period of around eighteen months, Red Bull decided to part ways with Horner. While the Milton Keynes-based team did not reveal the reason for the major decision, Marko revealed in a separate interview that several factors led to Horner's exit, with the topmost among them being performance. He said: "This was the result of various factors, but above all, the performance wasn't quite as good as it could have been. Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing speaks in the Team Principals Press Conference during Sprint qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 25, 2025... Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing speaks in the Team Principals Press Conference during Sprint qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 25, 2025 in Spa, Belgium. More"Fortunately, we were able to bring Laurent Mekies into the family. His responsibilities will be significantly reduced, with the main focus being on racing." Mekies comes with a proven track record of leading Red Bull's junior F1 team, Racing Bulls, which he joined in 2023. The call for a promotion to Red Bull caught him by surprise, much like everybody else. Speaking about the phone call that elevated his position to lead one of F1's most successful teams, Mekies told the media at Spa Francorchamps: "Well, it was not very different for me than it was for you, really, guys. I got a call a few hours before you guys were made aware. I got a call from Oliver and Helmut 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." Revealing his thoughts that pushed him to take on the new role, Mekies said: "But 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.'" Despite the big moment for Mekies, he didn't hold back from giving due credit to the person who brought him to the Red Bull family - Horner. Mekies added: "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. "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'."

Oscar Piastri's heartfelt reason he wrote grandad's name on Belgian GP winner's champagne
Oscar Piastri's heartfelt reason he wrote grandad's name on Belgian GP winner's champagne

Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Automotive
  • Daily Mirror

Oscar Piastri's heartfelt reason he wrote grandad's name on Belgian GP winner's champagne

It was a touching moment after Oscar Piastri beat McLaren F1 team-mate and title rival Lando Norris to win the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit Spa-Francorchamps It was an easy moment to miss in the minutes after the conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix. We had just seen Oscar Piastri get the better of Lando Norris on the first racing lap of a rain-affected affair, delayed by well over an hour, and convert it into his sixth victory of 2025. ‌ When he returned to parc ferme in his McLaren, the scenes were nothing out of the ordinary. Celebration with mechanics, a handshake with Norris and a quick hop onto the FIA weighing scales to make sure everything was above board. ‌ But there was one eye-catching moment, when he stopped at a bottle of champagne from new Formula 1 sponsors Moët & Chandon to sign it. Instead of just daubing his usual signature, Piastri also wrote a message dedicating his win to his grandfather. ‌ It read: "To grandad, I guess you need to come to races more often too!" As the message alluded to, Piastri's grandfather was present at Circuit Spa-Francorchamps and got to witness the Aussie extend his championship lead in person. ""It's the first race outside of Australia that he's come to," Piastri explained in the post-race press conference, after he had collected his trophy and celebrated on the podium. "One of my sisters, in Spain, that was her first race outside of Australia, and that was a good weekend. "Now my grandfather the same, so maybe I need to get my family members one by one for the rest of the races. I didn't know. It seemed like the best person to dedicate it to. It's a nice thing to do." Piastri also referenced what he had written on the champagne bottle with a post on social media, sharing some of his highlights from the Belgian GP weekend. "Hoping grandad comes to more races," he wrote in the carousel post on Instagram. ‌ Piastri had been on pole a day earlier for the Sprint race, but lost out to Max Verstappen. The Dutchman took advantage of the long flat-out section after the first corner which gave him a slipstream and the opportunity to fly past the McLaren, and stay there. Having experienced that a day earlier, he knew his best chance in the main Grand Prix was to do the same thing to Norris. And that's exactly what he managed, explaining: "I knew it was going to help me pretty significantly if I did it. "I had a good run out of turn one and then tried to be as brave as I could through Eau Rouge and was able to stay pretty close. After that, the slipstream did the rest for me. I knew that was going to be pretty important for trying to win the race today."

Max Verstappen 2026 F1 plans decided as Red Bull release clause saga takes fresh twist
Max Verstappen 2026 F1 plans decided as Red Bull release clause saga takes fresh twist

Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Automotive
  • Daily Mirror

Max Verstappen 2026 F1 plans decided as Red Bull release clause saga takes fresh twist

The biggest Formula 1 2025 silly season story by far has been the constant speculation that Max Verstappen could quit Red Bull to replace George Russell at Mercedes Max Verstappen is almost certain to stick with Red Bull for the 2026 season with his release clause set to expire. It is understood that the Dutchman would have been free to trigger an exit from the team if he were to find himself fourth or lower in the championship by the Formula 1 summer break. ‌ But that is now mathematically impossible after his strong haul at the Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen won Saturday's Sprint race and finished fourth in the rain-affected main event a day later. He is third in the championship and 28 points ahead of George Russell in fourth, with one race to go until the break. ‌ Even if Verstappen were to finish Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix pointless, and Russell were to win in Budapest, he would still be above the Brit in the championship. And so his easiest route out of Red Bull has now been blocked, amid speculation he could quit for rivals Mercedes. ‌ Despite the poor form of struggling rookie Kimi Antonelli, who finished pointless again on Sunday, Russell was by far the most likely Silver Arrows driver to make way if they had managed to lure Verstappen. Both Mercedes drivers are out of contract at the end of this year, as it stands. But a new deal for Antonelli is still likely to be a formality despite his difficult run – his first F1 podium in Canada was his only points finish across the last seven events. And despite delays to Russell's renewal, it is now expected that he too will put pen to paper on fresh terms in the coming weeks after a recent breakthrough in talks. The 27-year-old told Sky Sports on Sunday that he does not expect to sign a new deal before the Budapest race. And a few days earlier he had claimed it was "unlikely" that he would secure his future by the summer break. But the one thing boss Toto Wolff was waiting on, the potential availability of four-time World champion Verstappen for the 2026 season, now seems to be out of the question. Without an exit clause available, it would now take an enormous compensation offer – likely north of £100million – to convince Red Bull to part with their prized asset. Verstappen is contracted until 2028 and is believed to earn around £50m per year in guaranteed salary, before performance bonuses. ‌ Whether he sees out that deal, though, will largely depend on Red Bull's performance next term. Verstappen's streak of titles will almost certainly end this year with McLaren dominating the grid and he will want to spend as little time as possible out of contention. He turns 28 in September and has consistently indicated that he will retire from F1 racing comparatively early, even at times suggesting that his current Red Bull deal could be his last. He will want a title-winning car as often as possible and, if Red Bull are not competitive next year, when they will be using their own engines built in-house for the first time, then he is likely to consider his options. Links to Mercedes are likely to resurface if they produce the best new engine, as they did in 2014 the last time the sport's power unit rules changed. But, for now, the most eye-catching of 2025 F1 silly season stories seems to have reached its final chapter.

Max Verstappen blasts FIA for 'ruining' Belgian GP with one key decision
Max Verstappen blasts FIA for 'ruining' Belgian GP with one key decision

Daily Mirror

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • Daily Mirror

Max Verstappen blasts FIA for 'ruining' Belgian GP with one key decision

The Belgian Grand Prix took a lot longer than usual as heavy rain forced a long delay at the start of the race, leaving Max Verstappen in particular unhappy with that decision Max Verstappen slammed the Formula 1 race director for his "very cautious" approach to managing conditions at the Belgian Grand Prix. The race was delayed for almost 90 minutes when heavy rain hit the Circuit Spa-Francorchamps and the FIA decided to red flag proceedings after the formation lap. ‌ That first lap took place at 3pm local time as scheduled, when the rain was still pouring. And it soon became clear that visibility was very poor as even Lando Norris, behind only the safety car on pole position, could barely see beyond the spray being thrown up into the air. ‌ And so race director Rui Marques too the decision to abort the start and call for all cars to return to the pit lane. Once he had done that, it was clear that the race would not resume for some time as more heavy rain was on the way. ‌ Eventually things got going, around 90 minutes after the originally scheduled start time. And it was perfect timing for Oscar Piastri who snatched the lead from Norris on the first lap after a rolling start and consolidated that position to win the race. ‌ Verstappen finished fourth, the same place he started, and was left to wonder what might have been had they been allowed to race in the more treacherous conditions, as he made it clear he would have preferred a bolder approach from race control. The Dutchman fumed: "We should have started miles earlier, an hour earlier. A bit of a shame. They took a very cautious approach which we spoke about after Silverstone, to be a little bit more cautious. "But, for me, this was then the other extreme. It just ruined a nice, classic wet race as well. We either still try to push for a proper wet race, or we say, 'You know what, let's just stop racing in the wet and wait for it to be dry. But that's not what you want, right? ‌ "We can still have some really cool wet racing, like we showed at Silverstone." But the race, in the end, was mostly in dry conditions and Verstappen could not find the pace he needed to reel in Charles Leclerc, who spent the whole race successfully defending the final podium place. Verstappen had won the Sprint race a day earlier, able to hold off the McLarens by driving flat out over 15 laps. But tyre degradation proved to be tricky again over a full race distance and that is what he wants his team to address going forward. He said: "The problems we have in the car in tyre management are still there, it doesn't matter what rear wing you put on the car and it also hurt us today in the race. We did the best we could, we made some changes and it was much nicer around the lap. We know what we have to work on but, unfortunately, it was not that straightforward to fix."

Lando Norris makes surprise 'commitment' admission after Oscar Piastri wins Belgian F1 GP
Lando Norris makes surprise 'commitment' admission after Oscar Piastri wins Belgian F1 GP

Daily Mirror

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • Daily Mirror

Lando Norris makes surprise 'commitment' admission after Oscar Piastri wins Belgian F1 GP

Lando Norris started the Belgian Grand Prix from pole position but suffered the same fate as Oscar Piastri a day earlier when Max Verstappen jumped the Aussie at the start of the sprint Lando Norris admitted he was not committed enough as he lost the Belgian Grand Prix on the first racing lap of a rain-soaked affair. Heavy rain at Spa-Francorchamps saw the race delayed by 90 minutes as race control deemed the conditions too treacherous. ‌ And Oscar Piastri reacted the sharpest when a rolling start got things going, pulling off the race-winning move on the same straight where he had lost the shorter Sprint to Max Verstappen a day earlier. The Aussie learned his lesson and is now 17 points clear of his McLaren team-mate and Formula 1 title rival. ‌ "Oscar just did a good job, there is nothing more to say," shrugged Norris. "He committed more through Eau Rouge, got the slipstream and the run [up the Kemmel Straight]. That was it, there was nothing else I could do at that point. Oscar deserved it today." ‌ Piastri thought his best chance to snatch the lead had gone when the cautious FIA race director decided a rolling start would be safest. But the Aussie was proud to have out-dared his rival and still made the crucial move. He said: "I got a good exit out of turn one, lifted as little as I dared and we had it mostly under control. I was a bit disappointed with the rolling start as I thought that would take away the opportunity, but when I was that close through Eau Rouge, I knew I was going to lift a little less than Lando. I am proud of my first lap." Norris gambled on hard tyres when the track dried while Piastri and the rest of the pack went for the less durable mediums which gave the Brit an advantage late on. But three mistakes late on proved consequential and the Brit finished just over three seconds behind. Norris had no regrets and said: "I had to push, I couldn't just sit still. And when you're on the edge like that, yeah I made some mistakes but that's racing and that's life. I'm not unhappy, I don't think there was much more I could have done today. I felt like I still did a good job, I was quick and I was on top of things." ‌ Charles Leclerc completed the podium while Verstappen had to settle for fourth in Red Bull's first ever Grand Prix without Christian Horner. But he was angry with the FIA for "ruining" what could have been a much more chaotic wet race. The Dutchman fumed: "We should have started miles earlier, an hour earlier. They took a very cautious approach which we spoke about after Silverstone but, for me, this was the other extreme. "It just ruined a nice, classic wet race as well. We either still try to push for a proper wet race, or we say, 'You know what, let's just stop racing in the wet and wait for it to be dry. But that's not what you want, right? We can still have some really cool wet racing, like we showed at Silverstone."

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