Stephen Knowles, Red Bull’s senior race strategy engineer, compared Christian Horner with the new CEO and team principal, Laurent Mekies, discussing how the internal environment has changed following last month’s big announcement.
It has been over a month since Christian Horner’s dismissal, leaving his role as CEO and team principal at Red Bull with immediate effect after twenty years of remarkable success, including 14 world titles between drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
His position was taken by Laurent Mekies, promoted in Milton Keynes following his excellent work with Racing Bulls during his very first experience as team principal, but carrying the huge responsibility of replacing a giant like the Leamington Spa manager.
Horner’s departure is just the latest in a long line of names to leave the Austrian team in recent years, with Mekies tasked with solidifying the new direction and, above all, leading the transition to 2026, when the new technical regulations will come into effect.
How Mekies is shaping the new Red Bull
As a guest on the BBC’s Inside Track podcast, Red Bull’s senior race strategy engineer Stephen Knowles compared Horner with the new CEO and team principal, although he noted that it is still too early to make a proper comparison.
''Christian's obviously a massive personality, so you notice when he's no longer sitting next to you,'' he stated.
''I think Laurent is doing a really good job. It's always going to be difficult, or it's a difficult balance, should I say, stepping into a team that's had as much success as we have recently. There's obviously a lot that we do well and for sure there's things that we can do better as well.''
Knowles revealed that the Frenchman initially eased in quietly, especially during the first race, and only over time is he beginning to leave his mark on the team.
''He is striking the balance really well in the sense that he's come in and predominantly observing and at least for the first race, and then now we're starting to get more and more feedback from him and he's making a bigger impact on the operation.''
He finally added: ''I don't get the sense there's any desire to change the DNA of how we go racing. It's something we historically have always done well. So no massive changes, more subtle.''
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