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 | Laurent Mekies: Horner is the first person to write and call me after his appointment at Red Bull9-01-2026 |
Mekies spoke of support from his predecessor Horner. New Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies said the appointment of Christian Horner was a surprise.
Until we begin to understand the question of why. But [Red Bull bosses] have outlined the team`s goals in some way.
I got a call a few hours before you found out. They asked if I was interested in the position. Of course, this came as a complete surprise. I was in the UK at the Racing Bulls base and it was an absolute surprise.
In fact, I said that I would think about it for a few hours and hung up. It`s hard to stomach this. But you immediately think: This is Red Bull, they’re calling you from there. You`re asked to take a position and that`s what Red Bull stands for - its energy, its spirit, its approach to race teams. You pick up the phone and say: Of course, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege, ” said the manager of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Mekies also spoke about Horner`s reaction:
In the last two years, he has been incredibly supportive of me - nothing else. It`s no secret that he, along with Oliver [Mintzlaff] and Helmut [Marko], brought me back into the Red Bull family a couple of years ago. So I have mixed emotions. But the main one, as I already said: Red Bull is calling you. It`s a matter of brand loyalty.
[Horner] was the first to write to me, the first to call me. I think we texted again this morning or yesterday. He supported me, and that`s very impressive in this context.
No one can replace his character. No one will be exactly the same. I took over as executive director and leader. Will it be possible to use exactly the same approaches as Christian? No. Or at least not in my case. However, we will rely on the incredible strength of the team.
Yuki Tsunoda: Horner wrote: Show what you can do before the Belgian Grand Prix
Toto Wolff will miss Horner: In a way. Christian can show up in the FIA, then I`m screwed