Red Bull has extended Laurent Mekies’s contract as CEO and Team Principal of Red Bull Racing until the end of 2031.
Shareholder Mark Mateschitz made the announcement at a team debrief in Milton Keynes on Wednesday. It came days after Max Verstappen won at Sepang and then took both the sprint and the grand prix in Singapore.
The extension follows contract renewals for Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, and the signing of what Red Bull called “key personnel” for 2027. The team did not name them. It also did not say how long Mekies’s previous contract had to run.
Mekies, replaced Christian Horner in July 2025. He had previously been Team Principal at sister team Racing Bulls. Before that he held senior roles at Minardi, Toro Rosso, the FIA and Ferrari.
In a joint statement, shareholders Mateschitz and Chalerm Yoovidhya said Mekies had steered the team “through an important period of transition.”
Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull’s CEO of corporate projects and investments, said continuity in leadership was “a key ingredient for sustained success.”
Mekies credited the teams led by technical director Pierre Waché and powertrains chief Ben Hodgkinson.
Red Bull missed the 2025 drivers’ title by two points after a strong second half of the season under Mekies.
2026 is the team’s first season with its own power unit, built by Red Bull Ford Powertrains. It won its first race only at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang. Verstappen won it from pole, 2.3 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
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