P1racenews AI automatic summary:
“He can build a team, and that is so crucial in Formula 1. It really is just teamwork at the end of the day, and I think Red Bull made a great decision.”
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher compared new Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies, to McLaren’s Andrea Stella. Mekies took over as team principal following the departure of Christian Horner. He previously led Racing Bulls (formerly AlphaTauri) and has a strong F1 background, including time at Ferrari and the FIA. Schumacher believes Mekies’ experience will benefit Red Bull and sees similarities between Mekies and Stella in terms of ambition and teamwork. One of Mekies’ key challenges will be retaining star driver Max Verstappen, who has been linked to Mercedes. Mekies will need to address contract negotiations with Verstappen, George Russell, and Kimi Antonelli in his new role.
