New Pink Bull Racing CEO and crew principal Laurent Mekies says his first job is to “uncover the magic” throughout the crew by way of assembly personnel, earlier than specializing in the problem of the 2026 rules.
Mekies changed Christian Horner on Wednesday, with Horner being faraway from his place after over 20 years operating the Method 1 crew. Stepping up from Racing Bulls, Mekies – who was talking throughout a filming day at Silverstone – stated he nonetheless wants to satisfy as most of the employees as doable earlier than the Belgian Grand Prix, to grasp how the crew operates.
“The subsequent step, what you can’t wait to do, is to satisfy the individuals,” Mekies stated. “It has been not even a day now, so I simply cannot wait to satisfy as many individuals as doable from this unimaginable crew. You wish to uncover the magic, to satisfy the blokes and the women which might be doing the magic behind the scenes.
“That is what the following few weeks can be devoted to – to attempt to meet as a lot of our individuals as doable, to hearken to them, to attempt to perceive this stunning magic machine that’s Pink Bull Method 1 and finally discover methods to contribute and to help [it].”
Mekies says his impression of Pink Bull from the skin has at all times been of a crew stuffed with world-class skills, and that he’s eager to make sure they will function on the highest stage transferring ahead.
“I nonetheless take a look at these guys as most individuals outdoors of the crew take a look at them. We take a look at you guys and we see the perfect individuals on the planet at what they do. That is what this crew is. Even from being a competitor beforehand, we take a look at [Red Bull] as being the sharpest crew, having managed to build up the largest quantity of skills collectively.
“We aren’t underestimating the problem forward. Method 1 goes to face in all probability the largest change of regulation in its historical past, and it has a really explicit place for Pink Bull as we go together with our personal energy items. So it is going to be an unimaginable problem, and we are going to want everybody to go about all of it collectively.”
As for Horner’s legacy at Pink Bull, Mekies identified that his personal earlier position at Racing Bulls got here with Horner’s approval.
“The primary ideas are for Christian. It nonetheless feels a bit unreal to be right here and to not see him,” he stated. “It could be unattainable to underestimate the scale of the achievement that this crew has had underneath 20 years of Christian’s management.
“I met him 20 years in the past when he was the youngest crew principal in Method 1. It is unbelievable to see how he has turned this place to the extent at which it’s now – and in that journey, the various, many titles and wins. Christian can be the man that, along with Helmut [Marko, team advisor] and Oliver [Mintzlaff, CEO], introduced me again into the Pink Bull household two years in the past. All the primary ideas are actually for him in the present day.”
