Overview

• Laurent Mekies took over as Red Bull’s team principal on July 9 after a period of declining results and has since rolled out technical upgrades and morale initiatives at Milton Keynes.
• Mekies and McLaren CEO Zak Brown held the first documented private discussions between their teams in years, signaling a diplomatic reset.
• Zak Brown praised the new leadership, saying Mekies’s approach will refocus the rivalry on on-track performance following a 365-point gap that has favored McLaren in 2025.
• Red Bull’s two wins this season and fourth-place position in the constructors’ standings underscored the need for change under Mekies’s leadership.
• With major 2026 technical regulations on the horizon, Mekies has called for inter-team cooperation to shape the sport’s strategic direction.