Laurent Mekies just summed up how Red Bull have changed post-Christian Horner in five words

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Laurent Mekies has had a job on his hands to turn around the falling trajectory of Red Bull since his appointment as team principal of the Austrian constructor following Christian Horner’s exit from the team in July.

One of the main factors that contributed to Horner’s sacking was his unwillingness to give up certain responsibilities to different members of the team who were better-placed to deal with them.

Horner refused to relinquish control of the commercial side at Red Bull during the final stages of his tenure, as he felt like it made sense for one person to be in control of the entire operation within the team.

The relationship between Horner and key Red Bull shareholders deteriorated rapidly, with meetings between the higher-ups becoming ‘increasingly aggressive’ as time went on.

Things came to a head following the conclusion of the British Grand Prix, which marked the 51-year-old’s final race as the team’s boss.

READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

Laurent Mekies has delegated all responsibility of the Racing Bulls line-up to Helmut Marko

Arvid Lindblad has been heavily tipped to be the latest Red Bull-backed driver to make the step up from F2 to F1 next season, and a Racing Bulls seat is the natural landing spot for him.

Helmut Marko has made up his mind on Lindblad’s future, with a comment from the Austrian at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix suggesting that he will be a part of Racing Bulls’ plans in 2026.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 in Baku, Mekies made a comment to Simon Lazenby, which also suggests that he doesn’t want to have any say in how Racing Bulls line up next year.

Asked if Lindblad will be promoted, the Red Bull CEO gave a five-word answer, replying, “It’s a question for Helmut.”

The words from Mekies are in stark contrast to how Horner managed drivers within the Red Bull stable during his tenure as the head of the team.

Horner was against promoting Isack Hadjar from F2 to Racing Bulls ahead of the current season. The Frenchman has gone above and beyond this season to prove the former team principal wrong.

Now, in the midst of a mightily impressive rookie season that includes a podium at Zandvoort, Hadjar is in line for a Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen in the upcoming season of F1’s new 2026 regulations.

Where Horner was power-hungry at the Milton Keynes-based team, Mekies seems to be more than happy to delegate responsibilities that do not directly impact on-track results to those who are better equipped to deal with them.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull team principal and CEO Laurent Mekies

Max Verstappen has become more of a leader within Red Bull since Christian Horner’s exit

Mekies has been hailed as the right man to save Red Bull from their woes in 2025 due to the vast experience he has from a technical point of view.

The Frenchman spent a number of years as an engineer before his venture into being a team leader.

Max Verstappen has become a leader in the Red Bull garage under the reign of Mekies, which begs the question of why the Dutchman didn’t have as much of a voice whilst working under Horner.

As a four-time world champion and one of the most experienced drivers on the grid at just 27 years old, the Dutchman’s input should have been more paramount to the decisions that were being made on race weekends for a long while.

Verstappen’s win at the Italian Grand Prix is a perfect example of that. He lobbied for a rear wing change ahead of qualifying, something that technical director Pierre Wache was against.

Verstappen was granted his wish and utilised the change to take pole position on Saturday and a dominant victory in the Grand Prix on Sunday.