The new Team Principals
The driver market for the 2024 season was absolutely devoid of anything new, with all the teams reconfirming their line-ups for this year too. Changes, however, occurred in two teams in the role of Team Principal: on the one hand Haas, which announced Ayao Komatsu after the unexpected departure of Günther Steiner, and on the other Racing Bulls, a team which also took on a new name after the end of the agreement with AlphaTauri as main sponsor. In place of Franz Tost, who retired from the world of competitions and has always been Team Principal of the team since the year of its foundation (2006), he took over Laurent Mekies, for the first time in his career engaged in this role. For the engineer from Tours, former Ferrari Sporting Director, it is also a real return to Faenza, when he arrived as chief engineer at Toro Rosso after his experience at Minardi, then taken over by Red Bull.
From Ferrari to the new experience
On the occasion of the presentation of the new VCARB-01, Mekies recalled the disappointment he suffered at the end of his experience at Ferrari in 2023, which however opened the doors of Racing Bulls to him: “When I realized I would have to wait months to take on my new role, I thought: 'It's frustrating. You want to start the new job straight away and make your contribution.' But looking back, the break was good – he has declared – If I could have changed immediately, the intensity of the busy World Championship schedule would have kept me on my toes. This way, however, I was able to pause, take a step back and look at the big picture. I had the opportunity to calmly think about how to approach my tasks. Now it's nice to get back to work. When you are used to such an intense pace as that of Formula 1, a break like this seems very long.”
The reality of Faenza
A transition that then took him to the head of the Red Bull satellite team, pronouncing his first words as Team Principal: “We have a unique opportunity to build on a solid foundation, but at the same time there is a spirit of optimism, as if we are starting with a blank sheet of paper – he has declared – We have a fabulous team and very good people who have just started working and will be joining us in the coming months. VCARB shows how we want to approach our tasks. As team principal, I have to find the best possible employees and have them work in the right place. The appointment of high-calibre people such as Alan Permane as head of sport and Tim Goss as technical lead is a sign of how seriously we take our tasks. We are not a racing team like the others. We have the racing car factory in Faenza and a branch in Bicester, where we mainly work on aerodynamics. We are moving this outpost in Milton Keynes to completely new buildings to be part of the Red Bull campus. With these two locations, we can attract the best specialists in Europe. The talent on this team is already there – he continued – however, we want to optimize the organization and therefore better position the racing team. Young drivers in Formula 1 remain our main task, it is part of the team's DNA. All the changes mean that some improvements will only arrive in the second half of the season. We are aware that we may struggle in the first few months. We work with around 600 specialists. The regulations specify exactly what you must build as a team. Aside from the engine, gearbox and suspension, you have to build your car yourself. We have one owner, Red Bull, who runs two racing teams. So it is obvious that we need to evaluate in detail which components can be installed on both cars. We have the advantage of being able to work with world champions, with Red Bull Racing. There are also compromises to be made. We have to wait and see what gearbox will be created, which determines the suspension points, which in turn have a direct influence on the aerodynamics.”
The commentary on the pilots
In conclusion, Mekies commented on the potential of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunodai.e. its two pilots: “There are few drivers in the field with Daniel's experience, and his positive attitude is a bonus. Daniel was on the wish list of all the drivers, but then he didn't have easy years. Now we are seeing the former Daniel again, so to speak, I see a Ricciardo extremely motivated, focused and hungry for success. I was very impressed with Yuki's development. His speed has always been there, but now he also has the experience and technical understanding to become an excellent driver. He lives in Faenza and is a hard worker who can often be found in the racing car factory. Yuki is not in this car because of the engine partner Honda, but because he deserves this cockpit. We just want to progress, be more competitive, live up to a very competitive midfield, and we always want to achieve good results. We are building the best racing team possible, let's see where he takes us.”
#Mekies #team
