The primary activity for Laurent Mekies because the boss of Pink Bull has been highlighted.
Mekies has been thrown into the function of workforce principal and CEO left behind by Christian Horner’s dramatic exit.
The previous Racing Bulls boss has been promoted into the highest workforce the place he’ll uncover a number of issues.
Key amongst them is the potential exit of Max Verstappen who, regardless of a contract with Pink Bull till the top of 2028, may search a swap elsewhere, together with Mercedes, for subsequent season.
However the fixed underperformance of Verstappen’s teammates is a unending difficulty too.
Sergio Perez was axed final 12 months after an incapacity to attain sufficient factors to maintain the constructors’ championship away from McLaren. However his substitute Liam Lawson lasted simply two races. Yuki Tsunoda got here in however has additionally struggled badly.
“That’s one factor that Laurent, with the hierarchy, have to knuckle down,” Jolyon Palmer instructed the F1 Nation podcast.
“Can they hold their star driver?
“Max is the glue holding the entire workforce collectively. They’ve misplaced all of their outdated administration. Helmut Marko continues to be there in an advisory capability however loads of the race workforce have gone.
“But Max continues to be in a position to ship a pole place at Silverstone.
“The opposite driver is an enormous query. Laurent has nice expertise of working with Tsunoda.
“That complete dynamic of the drivers is his very first thing to get on prime of.”
‘Two-car’ workforce want for Pink Bull
Yuki Tsunoda
Tom Clarkson added: “It’s extra than simply getting the most effective out of Yuki.
“We now have seen over seven years, since Daniel Ricciardo left the workforce, that the second automotive hasn’t carried out as successfully.
“That needs to be Mekies, if not Job No1, then very close to the highest of the checklist.
“Get it working as a two-car workforce and correctly difficult for the constructors’ championship.
“If you happen to take a look at the effectiveness of McLaren, you possibly can’t compete with them in case you’ve solely bought one automotive.”
Lawrence Barretto mentioned: “There was chatter over the course of the British Grand Prix weekend of the need to do this internally. To not have a automotive that’s designed so closely in the direction of Max.”
There’s widespread acceptance that Pink Bull’s F1 automotive was designed to swimsuit the unbelievable expertise of Verstappen.
That has served them effectively and given him 4 drivers’ titles in a row however as their efficiency has ebbed away, flaws have been uncovered.
With even Verstappen now bemoaning the RB21, it has develop into a nightmare for whoever is within the second automotive.
Pink Bull’s checklist of axed drivers consists of Lawson, Perez, Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon – highlighting the ruthlessness of their decision-making when efficiency isn’t swiftly discovered.
