Laurent Mekies may now be facing the same internal power ‘struggle’ as Christian Horner at Red Bull

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Laurent Mekies has made an impressive start in his role as Red Bull team principal. Since he took over in July, the team’s season has been transformed.

Max Verstappen had ruled himself out of title contention but he’s now changed his mind after a transformative run of victories. He arrives at the Brazilian Grand Prix only 35 points off the lead.

Meanwhile, Red Bull are back in the hunt for P2 in the constructors’, having previously seemed consigned to fourth. Mekies has helped Yuki Tsunoda improve by equalising the specification of the two cars, though he still wants more from his second driver.

Mekies has eschewed credit – Christian Horner approved the Monza floor upgrade that ignited the resurgence – but has been widely applauded by his colleagues for simplifying the team’s methods and restoring a harmonious atmosphere.

After that Italian GP upgrade, Horner wanted to halt 2025 car development, but Mekies has continued to pursue performance aggressively. It may be a gamble in the context of the upcoming regulation changes, but it has put McLaren under expected pressure.

Laurent Mekies’ influence is growing and it could come at the expense of Helmut Marko

Mekies was expected to have a relatively narrow remit at Red Bull. While Horner combined the team principal and CEO duties, the Frenchman was instructed to focus solely on the performance of the racing team.

The expectation was that driver line-up decisions, for instance, would be the ‘sole domain’ of Helmut Marko. But according to Autosport Web, Red Bull management have started to expand Mekies’ role after recognising his skills.

• READ MORE: How Christian Horner ‘loyalists’ have reacted to Laurent Mekies’ Red Bull takeover after recent success

Speaking in September, Mekies told the media to ask Marko about any potential driver movement. But his tone has now shifted, with the newcomer now speaking as if he’s an active part of the process.

AS Web believe that the power dynamics have changed at Red Bull less than four months after the Frenchman took over.

Is this the clearest sign that Helmut Marko’s power has waned at Red Bull?

It’s often the way in F1, and sport generally, that authority is tied to performance.

According to one team insider, Marko and Mekies disagree about Tsunoda – the former is already set on promoting Isack Hadjar, while the latter wants to give the incumbent more time.

The team had been indicating that they would finalise their line-ups after the Mexican GP. Now, the deadline has moved to the end of this month or the start of next, and AS Web believe this reflects a new power ‘struggle’.

Erik van Haren reports that Oliver Mintzlaff will be involved in Red Bull’s driver decisions, along with Mekies and Marko.

Horner’s battles with Marko, who is the long-serving motorsports advisor to the Austrian ownership, were well-documented. It’s still very early in the Mekies era, but there has been a perceptible shift in the narrative.