New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies admitted he does not know why Christian Horner was relieved of his duties a fortnight ago.
French engineer Mekies, previously team principal at Red Bull’s sister F1 team Racing Bulls, has taken over from Horner and is at the helm this weekend for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Mekies previously enjoyed a near-decade stint at Toro Rosso, the old name for Red Bull’s sister team, and also has experience to his name at Ferrari and the FIA.
Yet a brief Red Bull statement announcing Horner’s departure did not spell out the specific reason why the Briton lost his job, with drivers Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda also unable to give a clear cause on Thursday.
When asked if Red Bull bosses Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko have informed him why he was replacing Horner, Mekies responded: “The short answer is no they haven’t. We didn’t get into the why or why now.”
Speaking for the first time in an FIA press conference setting on Friday at Spa-Francorchamps, Mekies revealed that he has been in contact with Horner and paid tribute to his work over 20 years at Red Bull Racing.
“Yes we have spoken, he has been nothing other than supportive,” the 48-year-old said. “Even this morning and yesterday, we texted. It’s very impressive in the context.
“I got a call from Oliver and Helmut a few hours before [the announcement]. They asked me if I was interested, it came out of the blue. It was difficult to digest.
“My first thoughts go to Christian, it’s not something I could have expected. He has been extremely supportive with me in these last two years, he brought me back to the Red Bull family.
“That’s the mix of emotions you get but the dominant one is Red Bull calling. It’s a matter of loyalty to the brand.”
The future of Red Bull’s star driver, four-time world champion Verstappen, has been shrouded in speculation in recent months, with Mercedes lurking in the background.
Mekies did not comment directly on the Dutchman’s future but acknowledged that his driver’s ambitions for the team this season are simple.
“Max wants a fast car,” he said. “If we get him a fast car, it cancels out all the other stuff. It’s about building the next step of competitiveness and, hence, to make it an easy call for Max.
“All I’ve been seeing in these two weeks is incredible talent and racing spirit at the team. These guys go to the edge, there’s not a single department which is lying back. They are really at war, if I may say, in every single aspect.”
Verstappen was second-fastest in the one and only practice session on Friday, with McLaren’s championship leader Oscar Piastri topping the timesheet, ahead of sprint qualifying later this afternoon.
