Laurent Mekies has admitted changing Christian Horner in his first interview since successful the function of principal on the Pink Bull crew “unrealistic.”
The 48-year-old Frenchman was promoted from Pink Bull’s sister crew Racing Bulls to takeovers from Horner, who was instantly efficient 20 years later.
Mekies paid tribute to the departure Horner, F1’s longest-serving crew boss and who oversaw all of Pink Bull’s success, together with six constructor world championships and eight driver world titles.
“It is nonetheless unrealistic to be right here and I really feel like I am not going to see him (Horner),” Mekies mentioned. “It’s not possible to underestimate the dimensions of the outcomes this crew has had below Christian management for lower than 20 years.
“I met him 20 years in the past when he was the youngest crew principal in Components 1, and it is unimaginable to see how he remodeled this place into what it’s now.
“That journey, many titles and victory. Christian can be a person together with Helmut (Marco) and Oliver Minzlaf), who introduced me again to the Pink Bull household two years in the past. The entire preliminary ideas are with him right now.”
Mekies was talking throughout the filming day of the deliberate Pink Bull in a 2025 F1 automotive on Silverstone.
Prepared for the “problem” at Pink Bull
Within the case of the Mekies, the Pink Bull sizzling seat represents the most well-liked place in Components 1. He started his sports activities profession at Arrow within the early 2000s earlier than shifting to Minardi. He was later rebranded as Toro Rosso when Pink Bull purchased the crew.
Mekies had a spell working for the FIA between 2014 and 2018, then switched to Ferrari because the sports activities director and later because the assistant crew principal. He returned to the Pink Bull household in 2024 when he was appointed crew principal for Racing Bulls.
Mekies acknowledged the challenges awaiting him in Pink Bull.
“I see this crew like I see many of the outdoors. We see the perfect folks on this planet about what they do,” Mekies mentioned.
“This noticed Pink Bull Race because the sharpest crew, even when this crew was a competitor earlier than, and we have been in a position to accumulate the perfect expertise to work collectively.
“It is a privilege to hitch a crew and the main focus is on ensuring that every one the proficient folks listed here are already the perfect and are doing the perfect.
“We’ll deal with that and ensure Pink Bull’s vitality flows via the crew. We’re not underestimating the challenges forward. We want everybody and we’ll transfer on collectively.
