Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko and Laurent Mekies at Monza - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

'Red Bull better off with Mekies,’ but Steiner gives no credit for wins

14:22, 28 Sep

byKada Sarkozi

Red Bull Racing is better off under Laurent Mekies, Guenther Steiner concluded; however, he does not credit the team’s recent results to the Frenchman.

"The reason is, it seems like the team is calmer. Before every weekend there was a new story."

- Guenther Steiner

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast channel, the former team principal was asked whether the Austrians are better off with Mekies. According to Steiner, they are.

"The reason is, it seems like the team is calmer. Before every weekend there was a new story, ‘they didn't get on, this guy didn't get on with this one.’ At the moment they seem to be working in harmony," he began.

Laurent Mekies in Baku - Photo: RacePictures

"I'm not putting this one down, the results they had the last two races, to Christian [Horner] being gone, I just put it down to there was unhappiness, but that was now for one and a half years in the team.

"Laurent is a good leader, he's very calm. He doesn't get involved in politics and stuff like this. So he's just doing his job. And before, there was just always friction in the team between different parties," he shared his verdict.

On the other hand, Steiner doesn't believe Mekies is the reason Verstappen could win back-to-back F1 Grands Prix at Monza and Baku.

"I wouldn't give him credit for that, but I would give him credit for calming everything down inside the team," he added.

Red Bull and Horner formally part ways

Horner was replaced by Mekies ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, while Alan Permane was promoted to the Frenchman’s previous position at Racing Bulls.

Since then, Horner has formally left the team. GPblog understands that reports suggesting the Briton has received an £80 million payout from Red Bull Racing are inaccurate.

The sum Horner got paid for his tenure at Red Bull Racing, spanning across two decades, was around £52 million.