New Pink Bull Racing CEO and staff principal Laurent Mekies says his first job is to “uncover the magic” throughout the staff via assembly personnel, earlier than specializing in the problem of the 2026 laws.
Mekies changed Christian Horner on Wednesday, with Horner being faraway from his place after over 20 years working the System 1 staff. Stepping up from Racing Bulls, Mekies – who was talking throughout a filming day at Silverstone – mentioned he nonetheless wants to fulfill as most of the workers as attainable earlier than the Belgian Grand Prix, to grasp how the staff operates.
“The following step, what you can’t wait to do, is to fulfill the individuals,” Mekies mentioned. “It has been not even a day now, so I simply can’t wait to fulfill as many individuals as attainable from this unimaginable staff. You wish to uncover the magic, to fulfill the fellows and the women which are doing the magic behind the scenes.
“That is what the subsequent few weeks will probably be devoted to – to attempt to meet as a lot of our individuals as attainable, to take heed to them, to attempt to perceive this stunning magic machine that’s Pink Bull System 1 and ultimately discover methods to contribute and to assist [it].”
Mekies says his impression of Pink Bull from the skin has all the time been of a staff filled with world-class abilities, and that he’s eager to make sure they’ll function on the highest stage shifting ahead.
“I nonetheless have a look at these guys as most individuals exterior of the staff have a look at them. We have a look at you guys and we see the easiest individuals on the planet at what they do. That is what this staff is. Even from being a competitor beforehand, we have a look at [Red Bull] as being the sharpest staff, having managed to build up the largest quantity of abilities collectively.
“We aren’t underestimating the problem forward. System 1 goes to face most likely the largest change of regulation in its historical past, and it has a really specific place for Pink Bull as we go together with our personal energy models. So it’ll be an unimaginable problem, and we’ll want everybody to go about all of it collectively.”
As for Horner’s legacy at Pink Bull, Mekies identified that his personal earlier function at Racing Bulls got here with Horner’s approval.
“The primary ideas are for Christian. It nonetheless feels a bit unreal to be right here and to not see him,” he mentioned. “It will be unimaginable to underestimate the dimensions of the achievement that this staff has had below 20 years of Christian’s management.
“I met him 20 years in the past when he was the youngest staff principal in System 1. It is unbelievable to see how he has turned this place to the extent at which it’s now – and in that journey, the various, many titles and wins. Christian can also be the man that, along with Helmut [Marko, team advisor] and Oliver [Mintzlaff, CEO], introduced me again into the Pink Bull household two years in the past. All the primary ideas are actually for him immediately.”
