Why Laurent Mekies was once left furious with new team Red Bull after ‘very insignificant’ FIA punishment

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Laurent Mekies has been named as Red Bull Racing’s new CEO and team principal midway through the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Christian Horner parted ways with Red Bull in the aftermath of the British Grand Prix, with Laurent Mekies named as his successor.

Red Bull currently sit fourth in the constructors’ championship, with Max Verstappen doing everything he can to drag the team up the standings.

His teammate Yuki Tsunoda is fighting for his F1 future, and Mekies is now the chief representative for Red Bull in the paddock.

It means Mekies will have to fight Verstappen’s corner if he gets into any mischief, and potentially defend Tsunoda if he continues to struggle.

However, this wasn’t always the case for the Frenchman.

Mekies has had plenty of different roles in the paddock, and one saw him looking down on Red Bull and their previous rule-breaking.

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

Laurent Mekies once criticised Red Bull for Formula 1 cost cap breach

Before joining Racing Bulls as team principal, Mekies was racing director at rivals Ferrari.

During the 2021 campaign, Red Bull were found to have made a ‘minor’ breach of the cost cap, resulting in a £5.2m [$7m] fine, and a 10% reduction in their wind tunnel time.

Red Bull will argue that the breach was worth it, as it helped Verstappen win his maiden drivers’ championship and set the team up for years of dominance.

Mekies, in his role as Ferrari’s racing director, said in an interview, via Sky Sports: “I think for the sport, it’s good that the breach was clearly established by the FIA.

“There have been discussions for weeks and weeks, now at least we have a black and white decision where the breach is there, and the amount of the breach is there. It’s also good that the breach is admitted by all parties involved.

“On our side, and you would probably expect it, we think the penalty is not going to be anywhere close to a balance for what one could obtain from the amount of overspending we are talking about.

“We certainly feel it is low. We don’t see it on the same scale as being able to compensate [for] the overspend that was done.

“More crucially, regardless of what numbers you come up with for the 10 per cent reduction in aerodynamic testing, the truth of the matter is that because it’s not combined with any budget cap reductions, they will be completely free to spend that money elsewhere, whether it be weight reductions or suspension development.

“Therefore, it is likely that when you combine these two effects, the resulting lap-time (change) is probably going to be very insignificant.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Laurent Mekies compared to McLaren chief Andrea Stella ahead of Red Bull team principal debut

Mekies already has experience as a Formula 1 team principal from his time at Racing Bulls, which will help him when he’s in the spotlight at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher believes Mekies was the perfect choice for Red Bull, but has even gone a step further than that.

McLaren are the most impressive team in the paddock right now, and much of that is down to the leadership pairing of Zak Brown and Andrea Stella.

Mekies has been compared to Stella by Schumacher, and believes they’re very similar in a way that Horner wasn’t.

It will be interesting to see if a change of approach is what Red Bull needs to get back to the top of the championship.

For Mekies, he will need to make sure Red Bull aren’t caught out again by the FIA’s rules while trying to improve their performances.