Laurent Mekies has responded to claims from former Red Bull CEO Christian Horner that the Formula 1 team “lost its mojo” since his departure.
After 20 years and 16 world titles, Horner left his role as Red Bull Team Principal and CEO in July last year. The Briton made way for former Racing Bulls Principal Laurent Mekies, who has held the position ever since.
Under Mekies’ control, the team went on to finish third in the Constructors’ standings. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen overturned a significant points gap in the Drivers’ standings. Ultimately finishing a mere two points behind Lando Norris in the Drivers’ standings.
Despite this, the Milton Keynes squad endured a rather tumultuous 2026 season. From early-season reliability concerns to handling issues with the RB-22, it seemed to be a bleak year for the team. However, their luck shifted in F1’s return to Malaysia. Since then, the team have sailed to three victories out of the past five races. Crucially, they have overtaken McLaren for third in the Constructors’ standings.
Whilst Horner congratulated his former team on the milestone victory, he has since highlighted differences within the team. Claiming that Red Bull has seemingly lost what it once had when he was at the helm.
“I think if you look at that team 12 months down the line, it’s lost its mojo, its presence, its vibe,” Horner told the Times.
Mekies denies Christian Horner claims
The Frenchman acknowledged his predecessor’s comments surrounding the team, whilst sharing a different perspective.
“Look, first, Christian is entitled to his opinion,” Mekies told media during the Mexico City Grand Prix.
“He obviously spent a lot of time in this team. I respect his point of view.
“We certainly feel extremely differently about the vibe in the team.”
However, Mekies highlighted a positive shift in team spirit in recent months, evident through the team’s rise to success in the final stint of the season.
“I think one of the strong points we’ve been drawing on, certainly in the last few months, is the incredible team spirit that has allowed us to come back from an objectively very difficult moment.
“It’s always one thing to have a positive spirit when you are winning races. It’s something else to have that same fighting spirit and unity between the team members when you are put under pressure.
Despite a difficult start to the season, the team stuck together, building a successful future within the team.
“We certainly had a challenging first part of the year, chassis side and PU side, and the way the team stuck together, the way the team set the Milton Keynes department on fire to try to come back, and the way they have done that, it’s such a constructively challenging matter from any of our team members to the brutally honest comments of our drivers.
“I think that’s the Red Bull spirit. That’s certainly how we feel we need to go racing. The guys got the rewards they deserved with the turnaround that they have produced, which is, I think, very remarkable.
“But, ultimately, we are well aware that we live and die with our results. The target is not to win one race or two races. The target is to be back to world titles, and until we are there, nobody will feel we have achieved anything.”
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