Belgium GP: The day after Christian Horner in Red Bull

This weekend you will run the first F1 Grand Prix in the history of the suentiac team without the English as head.

The Belgium Grand Prix, 13th date of exercise 2025 of F1, will mark the beginning of a new era in Red Bull: year 1 after Christian Horner. The Energy Drink team landed in the World Cup in the 2005 Australia GP when buying Jaguar for one euro plus liabilities at the end of 2004. In that first competition in Melbourne, the Austrian team presented David Caulthard and Christian Klien. The premiere was good, with the fourth place of the Scottish and the seventh of the Austrian, with points for both in times when he rewarded the first eight. Everything was under the direction of Horner, a young Englishman, just 31 years old, with an opaque past as a pilot and founder, then, of the Arden team of F3000.

With the Batuta de Horner, Red Bull played 405 races, won 124, got eight pilot titles and six builders, celebrated 107 pole posations, added 287 podiums31 doubles and toured 36,194 kilometers as a racing leader. The Horner era was extraordinarily successful, but came to an end after the past GP of Great Britain, when the brand announced the dismissal with immediate effect.

This weekend, without a doubt, the Red Bull camp will be the most viewed and will cost not to see Horner as responsible. Laurent Mekies was chosen to fill the Spice Geri Halliwell’s shoes. At 48, the Frenchman born in Tours arrives at the maximum position of the Austrian Team after having commanded Racing Bulls (the other draft of the beverages) since 2024. In his CV of F1 steps appear by the division of Peugeot engines, by Arrows, Toro Rosso, Ferrari and the FIA.

“It is a privilege to join the team and we will focus on ensuring that all the talented here have what is necessary to perform at the maximum, because they are already the best. We will focus on that and ensure that the Energy of Red Bull flows throughout the team. We do not underestimate the challenge we have ahead; we will need everyone and we will do it together. I am sure that, with the contribution of all, we will overcome this challenge,” Mekies said.

The French will have several big challenges to face immediately. First, try to technically the working group to make an improvement in the performance of the RB21 so that Max Verstappen has options to fight for the title, although that already seems something judged with the enormous advantage that McLaren has, both in points and in performance. Also, get the second RB21 (Yuki Tsunoda) to begin to add points. But The most important, without a doubt, avoid the escape of the maximum equipment asset: the tetracampeon.

Mekies will be key in the rearmed thinking already in 2026. For Red Bull will be a change in the way of working. Even Silverstone, everything went through Milton Keynes and Horner. The English had the super powers he had received from Dietrich Mateschitz, the founder of Red Bull, who created and financed the team, but who put Horner and his friend Helmut Marko to control him. The British controlled everything, even commercial and communicational aspects. For something, behind Horner, Oliver Hughes (he was the marketing director) and Paul Smith (Communications Director) were fired.

The former director did not account for Austria, Red Bull headquarters. Mateschitz’s death in October 2022 changed the stage. The company’s directory divided management into two parts, with Oliver Mintzlaff in charge of the Special Projects Division, where the F1 team is. The German, a marketing man, dismissed Horner and Mekies must account for Austria. We will have to see how changes in the bases of Team fall.

Meanwhile, Verstappen said: “I returned to the factory last week to spend some time in the simulator with the team. I really want to work closely with Laurent.” Just Max’s possible output of the team was one of the reasons to get Horner. The Verstappen clan (fundamentally Dad Jos) had broken the relationship with English and his dismissal occurred in the middle of strong rumors that point to Max’s landing in Mercedes.

The first year of Red Bull after Horner will begin this weekend. Something like Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson left.