Born on 28 April 1977 in Tours, France, Laurent Mekies has become only the second team boss in the history of the Red Bull Formula 1 team.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit, which entered Formula 1 in 2005, was shaped and led to success by Christian Horner for two decades, until his abrupt exit today, halfway through the season.
An engineer specialized in aerodynamics, Mekies has been immersed in motorsport for over 25 years, starting out at Asiatech in Formula 3. In the early 2000s, he made his first steps in Formula 1 with the Arrows team, before moving to Minardi as a race engineer for drivers Mark Webber, Justin Wilson, Zsolt Baumgartner and Christijan Albers.
When the small Italian outfit was bought by Red Bull and became Toro Rosso in 2006, Mekies was promoted to chief engineer and settled into the role for nearly a decade.
In 2014, he left race competition but remained involved in F1, joining the FIA. As safety director and deputy race director, he played a key role in shaping the regulations and spearheaded the implementation of the halo, now an essential safety device in single-seaters.
After three years at the sport's governing body, Mekies returned to the pitwall, drawn by the allure of Ferrari, who appointed him head of track operations, then sporting director, and eventually deputy team principal over a five-year stint. His move to Maranello had sparked controversy at the time, with rival teams criticizing the lack of meaningful gardening leave between his departure from the FIA and arrival at Ferrari.
Only one step remained for Mekies, who, in addition to being a seasoned engineer, had proven his ability as a manager. When Red Bull decided to overhaul its second team, now called Racing Bulls, it was Mekies it turned to. He officially became a team principal for the first time in early 2024, succeeding long-serving Franz Tost back in Faenza.
"I think he has a very, very good understanding of the business, having started as an engineer and then worked at the FIA," said Frederic Vasseur when Mekies left Ferrari. "And obviously in this kind of position, you need someone with a full understanding of the company."
Mekies' at the head of the Italian team didn’t go unnoticed, as he showed he could handle the broad range of responsibilities required to run a modern Formula 1 team and its organization.
Chosen by Red Bull to succeed Horner, Mekies is now facing the most significant challenge of his career: leading an operation that goes well beyond the scope of a traditional team. Red Bull is building a new wind tunnel, developing its first in-house power unit with Ford, and has recently been rocked by internal strife that even cast doubt over Max Verstappen’s future.
Time will tell whether the legacy of the Horner era turns into gold... or dust.
Laurent Mekies’ career at a glance
- 2001-2003: Arrows
- 2003-2005: Minardi
- 2006-2014: Toro Rosso
- 2014-2017: FIA
- 2018-2023: Ferrari
- 2024-2025: Racing Bulls
- 2025-present: Red Bull
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