A “new chapter” for Red Bull in Formula 1 begins at the Belgian Grand Prix, declares Helmut Marko.
With Christian Horner shown the door following the British Grand Prix after more than 20 years at the Red Bull Racing helm, Marko explained the natural succession which has taken place as Red Bull re-shuffle its personnel for a new beginning.
Red Bull succession plan explained by Helmut Marko
Following the shock announcement that Horner had been relieved of his duties by Red Bull with immediate effect, Laurent Mekies was swiftly announced as the new Red Bull Racing CEO, the Frenchman stepping up from Racing Bulls – where he had served as team principal since 2024 – to lead Red Bull into the post-Horner era.
That paved the way for Alan Permane to move from Racing Bulls racing director to team principal, filling the void left by Mekies’ promotion.
Marko, writing in his Speedweek column, explained the restructuring.
“In Belgium, a new chapter will begin at Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls – with Laurent Mekies as team principal at Red Bull Racing and Alan Permane as team principal at Racing Bulls.
“Alan was the logical choice for us as the previous head of sport at Racing Bulls, because we didn’t want to bring in someone from outside. Basically, we simply extended his previous role.
“Laurent was also the obvious choice for the new job for the same reasons: as an internal solution and also as a man with enormous experience.
“Laurent’s varied activities, including later at the FIA and Ferrari, mean that he has everything he needs to lead a top team with an expert hand.”
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Marko – as was the case with Horner – has been with Red Bull since day one, that union overseeing a total of 14 World Championship wins for the team since it joined the grid in 2005.
Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen became multi-time World Champion stars of the sport at a Red Bull team led by Horner, and Marko would issue a statement via Red Bull’s social media channels to reflect on his and Horner’s journey, one which stretches back to their pre-F1 times.
“Christian and I have worked together very successfully for over 20 years – both in Formula 1 and in Formula 3000. I would like to sincerely thank Christian for that,” said Marko.
“During this time, we were able to celebrate an incredible number of outstanding achievements. We helped develop two World Drivers’ Champions and several Grand Prix winners. That has always been – and still is – the Red Bull way.
“As for the current sporting situation: there are still twelve races to go, and we will continue to fight for the Drivers’ Championship as long as it’s mathematically possible.”
Verstappen’s chances of a fifth straight title in F1 2025 are becoming slim, as he is now 69 points behind Drivers’ Championship leader Oscar Piastri, while runaway Constructors’ leaders McLaren are 288 points up the road from Red Bull, the team sat in P4.
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