Laurent Mekies, from engineer to Red Bull boss: a look back at the Frenchman’s career
Laurent Mekies takes over the reins of the team as CEO, having previously held the position of Team Director at sister structure Racing Bulls. Here's a look back at the Frenchman's career in motorsport.
The road to F1
Born on April 28, 1977, in Tours, France, Laurent Mekies developed a passion for motorsports from a young age and quickly nurtured the ambition to make a career in the field. Graduating in mechanical engineering from ESTACA school in Paris, he completed his studies with a final year at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.
He then began his career as an engine engineer in Formula 3 at Asiatech, before joining Formula 1 in 2001, with the Arrows team. A year later, he joined Minardi as a race engineer and remained several years with this team based in Faenza.
When Minardi became Toro Rosso in 2006, Laurent Mekies was promoted to chief engineer, then head of the vehicle performance department, overseeing six divisions focused on the car’s performance.
A visit to the FIA
In 2014, Laurent Mekies left Toro Rosso to join the FIA, where he became the safety director, responsible for medical and safety matters across all championships governed by the organization. Three years later, he added the role of deputy race director in F1 to his responsibilities.
In 2018, he joined Ferrari as sporting director. In 2019, he also took charge of the track and performance department. Then, in 2021, **he became the competition director**. During his time with the Scuderia, Ferrari secured seven Grand Prix victories.
Midway through the 2023 season, his departure from Ferrari is made official, as he is set to replace Franz Tost, retiring, as team director of AlphaTauri (renamed Racing Bulls in 2024). Thus, he returns to the Faenza team where he made his F1 debut.
His appointment is part of a larger reorganization: Peter Bayer becomes CEO, Tim Goss technical director, and Alan Permane chief technical officer. Despite a difficult start to 2024 for Racing Bulls, signs of improvement are emerging as the races progress.
Several incidents mark the season, particularly regrets surrounding the handling of Daniel Ricciardo’s departure, but Laurent Mekies remains optimistic for the future, believing that the team has crossed important milestones.
A new challenge at Red Bull
Beginning of 2025, Laurent Mekies didn’t have time to catch his breath: after only two races, a driver exchange takes place. Liam Lawson returns to Racing Bulls, while Yuki Tsunoda joins Red Bull to replace a difficult start to the season for Liam Lawson.
On July 9, Red Bull officially announced the appointment of Laurent Mekies as CEO, succeeding Christian Horner. Alan Permane, for his part, takes the helm of Racing Bulls as team principal.
About this new stage, Laurent Mekies stated: « This past year and a half has been a real privilege to lead the team alongside Peter [Bayer]. It has been an incredible adventure to be part of the birth of Racing Bulls with all the talented people on the team. The spirit of the group is remarkable, and I am convinced that this is just the beginning. »
As he reaches a new milestone in his already successful career, all eyes are now on Laurent Mekies, who assumes his position at Red Bull with immediate effect.
