Red Bull management reshuffle “doesn’t change too much” for Racing Bull F1 drivers

Racing Bulls Formula 1 duo Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar believe Laurent Mekies’ promotion to Red Bull following the sudden departure of Christian Horner makes little difference to them.

Following the British Grand Prix earlier this month, Horner lost his position as team principal and CEO of Red Bull, with Mekies being appointed as his replacement with immediate effect after spending over a year and a half at Racing Bulls.

Mekies’ role at Racing Bulls has been filled by former racing director Alan Permane, meaning both of Red Bull’s F1 teams will now be operating under new leadership for the remainder of the season.

While the shake-up has sent shockwaves through the paddock and was a major talking point on Thursday at the Belgian Grand Prix, Lawson insisted it was business as usual at the Faenza-based outfit.

“I think it doesn't change too much for me,” the Kiwi told the media including Crash.net. “Obviously, as a driver, we have enough to think about, especially this year, it has been a very busy year for me.

“So at this point, things have been pretty good for us recently. The car has been performing well and our speed has been good, so we're just focused on repeating that.

“The changes don't really do much. They don't change too much.”

Mekies has played an important role in transforming the rebranded Racing Bulls team since the start of the 2024 season.

It currently sits in a joint seventh in the constructors’ championship, just five points behind the Audi-owned Sauber team.

However, Lawson is not concerned by Mekies’ departure from Racing Bulls, as he expressed confidence in F1 veteran Permane’s ability to carry over the good work of his predecessor.

“I don't think we've lost anything with regards to Alan filling his position,” said Lawson. “But something that Laurent has been very, very good at is leading the team and having everybody around him, and having the motivation very high and the work ethic very high in the team.

“He was very, very good at that. He worked very, very hard. On a Thursday, every single race weekend he's here on a Thursday, probably one of the first guys to arrive normally, and to show sort of everybody in the team that it's very important.”

Lawson added that he found out about the management reshuffle after the announcement and has since spoken to Horner over a text message.

F1 rookie Hadjar echoed Lawson’s sentiment, revealing that he had already developed a close relationship with Permane during his limited time in F1.

“[The news is] major, but to be fair, it doesn't really change much for me at the moment, at the minute,” he said at Spa.

“Alan is someone I know really well. He was always quiet. You don't see him often, but he's a big part of the team so far.

“I think he's the one next to my race engineer, the one I've worked with the most. It's the guy who takes the final decision on car six.

“Now he's been very close to Laurent. Laurent has built something very solid over the last two years and now he's just taking it slow. It doesn't change anything to the team and to my approach.”

However, Hadjar admitted that he was saddened to lose Mekies from the team.

“I think Laurent was really appreciated in the team,” he said. “So a bit of sadness, obviously, but we are not as concerned as Red Bull racing, so nothing major. It's just a bit sad that he's leaving, but that's how it is.

He added: “To me it's always useful to work with someone who has an engineering background. As a driver, it's always more helpful. We were really close together and he's still around.”