The positive effects to the wider F1 world of Horner's Red Bull departure

Call it the clearance of a bottleneck if you will. And “bottlenecking” was certainly a word new Red Bull Formula 1 team principal Laurent Mekies used during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, a curious form of gerund in which the noun is deployed as a verb rather than the other way around.

When the FIA published its schedule of press conferences, in which Friday’s team representatives session featured Mekies on the sofa alongside Jonathan Wheatley – formerly Red Bull sporting director, now Sauber team principal – certain comedians in the media centre proposed a ‘dare’. Would anyone ask Wheatley if he now regretted leaving Red Bull last year, since the top job might now have been his?

Fortunately, nobody was tempted to venture into such fatuous trivialities. You can only judge the wisdom of a decision based on what was known at the time; and, late last summer when Wheatley served his notice, it appeared that Horner, if not winning the internal political battle, was certainly weathering it.

When asked to reflect on the recent developments, Wheatley was suitably diplomatic and statesmanlike – while expressing an essential truth of the situation.

“I want to say on a personal level that I wish Christian absolutely the very best in the future,” he said, “but also that two really good friends of mine, this gentleman sat to my right here Laurent and also Alan Permane [now team principal at Racing Bulls, taking Mekies’ old job], it’s provided opportunities in their careers and their career development.

“Honestly, out of everything comes something hugely positive, and I’m really, really pleased for Laurent and Alan.”

Horner was increasingly becoming an outlier among F1 bosses without an engineering background

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Having led Red Bull for 20 years, Horner was an outlier in the F1 world, the longest-serving team principal by far. Coincidentally, the second longest in post in recent years was Franz Tost, who handed the leadership mantle of Red Bull’s ‘B’ team to Mekies at the end of 2023.

There is a consensus among leadership gurus that CEOs often stay on too long, to the ultimate detriment of their organisations, because they come to crave not just the pay packet and power but the also the external validation that comes with the position. It’s understood that one of the factors that increasingly came to rankle at boardroom level was not just the frequency of Horner’s appearances on camera in Drive to Survive and such, but also the increasingly expletive-laden nature of his discourse.

Austria remains one of the most socially conservative countries in Europe and, despite Red Bull’s hard-partying image, such conduct from someone viewed as a spokesperson for the brand was considered unseemly.

“The main emphasis will be on racing. He is an engineer, which I think is a great asset given how complex Formula 1 technology is nowadays” Helmut Marko

So it’s no surprise to see that those now chosen to lead Red Bull’s two F1 teams are relatively low-profile individuals from an engineering background. Mekies rose through the ranks at the team formerly known as Scuderia Toro Rosso over many years before interludes at the FIA and Ferrari, finally returning to Faenza as Tost’s heir.

Permane spent 34 years at ‘Team Enstone’, beginning as an electronics engineer and working his way up through the ranks to sporting director under its various incarnations. Two years ago he became another casualty of the frequent and needlessly self-destructive games of ‘Spin the P45’, which seem to entertain the management of what’s now known as Alpine. He joined Racing Bulls as racing director six months later.

At the same time Horner was relieved of his post, Red Bull’s marketing chief and head of communications were also given the heave-ho. A whole different presentation style is in prospect and it will come, if not from the very top, probably not from the team principal’s office.

Permane spent decades at Team Enstone honing his craft

Photo by: Manuel Goria / Motorsport Images

The choice of engineers as team leaders isn’t coincidental – it’s part of a wider movement. Andrea Stella at McLaren, Frederic Vasseur at Ferrari, Andy Cowell at Aston Martin, James Vowles at Williams and Ayao Komatsu at Haas all come from engineering backgrounds. Horner not only acted as team principal of Red Bull but also as CEO of the engine project – and, in the old style of team leaders who were owners rather than employees, expected all aspects of operations including marketing to come across his desk.

No less an eminence than Helmut Marko confirmed that Mekies’ responsibilities “will be significantly more focused”, explaining, “the main emphasis will be on racing. He is an engineer, which I think is a great asset given how complex Formula 1 technology is nowadays.”

Wheatley added: “It’s well known I started as a mechanic [at Benetton] in 1991. I’m sitting here as a team principal now.

“The opportunity that Formula 1 gives to people… I say to so many young people when I first meet them when they’re coming into the business or trying to find out about it – I’m fully energised.

“I don’t know if I’ve got another 20 years at the cutting‑edge level, but it’s a remarkable sport. We’re all honoured and proud to be part of it, and I’m looking forward to whatever the next part of the journey is.”

Wheatley is relishing his new role and already having a major impact at Sauber

Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images