Orphaned of many key figures who contributed to the successes of the last sixteen years, Red Bull is a team that is trying to reorganize itself, betting everything on internal resources. The plan in Milton Keynes is to enhance the talents already present, while preserving an extremely pure approach to racing. However, there are positive notes, above all the in-house power unit, to which Ford could give an even greater contribution in the future. Setting the agenda at Red Bull is Laurent Mekies, who met FormulaPassion in the Monza paddock for an exclusive interview.
Enhancing talents
The Team Principal starts by making things clear: “First of all, we are not in a situation where we have to build a winning team. This team is the same that has won the most in the last thirty years. There have been two winning cycles, separated by a more complicated period. We are not facing the situation as if we had to build a winning team, but asking ourselves how to protect a successful team, so that it can continue to perform at the same level.”
The biggest challenge is absorbing the departure from the team of many key figures, above all Adrian Newey and Rob Marshall. “The fact that there have been departures of senior figures in the last 4-5 years is not new, but something that started a few years ago, it is a fact”, comments Mekies. “This means that for us the number one priority is to be sure to build an environment where our talents can develop and where everyone in the paddock wants to come. We believe we have the best talents. This is a team that is creating many talents, who then become famous and who maybe, after 10, 15 or 20 years, leave. It is part of life. However, the fact that the team can create and develop talents is very important to us.”
Securing the best in every department
Among the projects carried out by Mekies there was also an internal survey to take stock of the situation: “We have an extraordinary talent base. Together with our management group, we have done an analysis department by department to know if we have the best people and to understand how to strengthen the team. We believe we have the best talents in-house and for this reason we are in an extraordinary situation. We are completing the team where we need figures from outside, but without any philosophical problem”.
An important pool from which to draw talents is the other team in the Red Bull galaxy, but not the only one: “Racing Bulls is like the other teams. The number one priority is to have an environment that allows you to create and develop talents. Once that is done, you need the open-mindedness to say where something is missing, whether in terms of skills or experience, and be ready to go get it from outside. That is what we are doing calmly”.
Mekies, moreover, was Team Principal of Racing Bulls and before that sporting director of Ferrari, being able to note the cultural differences compared to Red Bull: “Every team is different. Between each team there is a great difference in approach and culture. It is a wealth and as far as I am concerned I am trying not to be influenced by past experiences. I try to look at every adventure with the most open mind possible, with the desire to learn and take risks. Red Bull symbolizes a very pure approach to racing. It is something we want to protect and on which we accept no compromise. Our daily battle is to protect this and make our approach even more extreme.”
The responsibility towards Verstappen
To date, Laurent Mekies’ greatest success is the renewal of Max Verstappen, securing his invaluable contribution in the car, but also outside: “Max’s influence off the track is huge. Going back to the previous point, you want the best department by department, starting with the drivers. This sends an important signal to all of us. We are here with a single goal, which is to return to winning as quickly as possible and that is what we are doing with this vision.”
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“The fact that Max, with his knowledge of Formula 1 and beyond, has assessed that the team where he will have the best chance to win in the coming years is Red Bull, is an important signal for our people and for those we will try to attract in the future. It is an extremely important vote of confidence, which we take with all the responsibility that this implies. This huge trust is matched by the responsibility to repay it, to provide him with the best possible car and power unit.”
A crazy challenge
2026 marks a historic season for Red Bull, which for the first time is powered by an in-house power unit. “There it was really about building a winning group from scratch,” comments Mekies. “Undertaking such a project starting from a blank sheet is a decision that perhaps no company in the world could make, except Red Bull. Thinking of starting from an empty field in Milton Keynes, building the infrastructure, looking for people and making a Formula 1 powertrain to compete against those who have been doing it for ninety years may seem crazy, but the kind of crazy that Red Bull really likes.”
The FIA has elected the Red Bull-Ford power unit as the best on the grid, but that does not mean there are no areas still to be fine-tuned: “It is still a first year, with all the difficulties you can imagine for such a project, even if some are not visible. One thing is certain though, they have done an extraordinary job. As with the trust shown by Max, the level at which the power unit department has been ready is another demonstration of the ambition of the whole project.”
An important partner in this adventure is Ford, with whom Red Bull is considering how to extend the collaboration in the future: “As time goes by and the relationship tightens more and more, we are exploring ways to collaborate in more areas, whether technical or otherwise. One of the strengths of the partnership with Ford is the union of two companies that have an incredible history in racing and share a truly pure approach to racing.”
The future of Formula 1
Like every Team Principal, Laurent Mekies does not only think about the future of his own team, but also that of the entire Formula 1: “We are living an extraordinary moment for where our sport is today, with the growth of fans and interest worldwide. We have become a global sport. For years and years we have sought these fans and today we finally have engagement that has been growing for 6-7 seasons. Every time we think we have reached the maximum and, the next year, we have even more fans. We must take all this with responsibility and establish where to take our sport with the next phase. One of the aspects we definitely want to find again is the possibility to race flat out. Then, we want to continue to be a technological laboratory. These are the key points we want to carry forward for the next phase.”
The general intention for the next regulations is to simplify the current power units, reducing the electric component. Talking about simplification in Formula 1, however, is always an understatement. “Between chassis and engine departments, at Red Bull we are still 2000 people,” Mekies says. “Even talking about simplification, we are still at extraordinary levels of complexity. Whatever the ratio between electric and thermal, we will continue to be a technological laboratory, because we will push so much in these areas that in the end the power split will matter little,” concludes the Team Principal.
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