Red Bull’s post-Horner era begins with sprint qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix
BRUSSELS: Laurent Mekies didn’t get long to settle in as Red Bull team principal on his first Formula 1 race weekend leading his new team. There was just one practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday before Red Bull and Mekies get straight into competitive action with qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race. The hectic schedule is an extra challenge as Mekies takes over from Christian Horner, who had led the team since it entered F1 20 years ago until he was abruptly fired just over two weeks ago. Max Verstappen had some aerodynamic updates and was competitive for Red Bull in the sole practice session, going second fastest at .404 of a second behind standings leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren. The second McLaren of Lando Norris was third fastest, .1 further back. Red Bull uncertainty Red Bull’s parent company still hasn’t explained exactly what led to Horner’s exit, and Verstappen’s future remains uncertain.
