Mekies warns of big challenges as he starts work at Red Bull

LONDON :Frenchman Laurent Mekies got down to work as Red Bull team principal on Thursday, a day after replacing Christian Horner, and recognised big challenges ahead for the once-dominant former champions.

The Formula One team released a video interview after a filming day with the current RB21 car at Silverstone, with Mekies meeting staff and doing plenty of hand-shaking.

Horner, who had been in position for 20 years during which time Red Bull won eight drivers' titles and six constructors' championships, was fired on Wednesday.

"I still look at these guys as most people outside of the team look at them... we see the very best people in the world at what they do," Mekies said in a Q+A put together by the Red Bull press office.

"It's a privilege to join the team... the focus will really be at making sure that all the talented people here have what they need to perform at their best because they are already the very best," he added.

"We are not underestimating the challenge ahead. Formula One is going to face probably the biggest challenge of regulation in its history... so its going to be an incredible challenge and we will need everyone."

Red Bull are building their own power unit for 2026 when they will take on major manufacturers Mercedes, Honda and Ferrari.

While Mekies hailed his team as the best, Red Bull are only fourth overall and have won two of 12 races so far this season. Four-times world champion Max Verstappen is 69 points behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen's future remains uncertain, despite a contract until 2028, with Mercedes and Aston Martin keen to secure his services.

Mekies, 48, has a track record in F1 dating back to 2001 with now-defunct Arrows when Verstappen's father Jos was one of the drivers.

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