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Alan Permane believes that taking over the Racing Bulls team from Laurent Mekies will involve continuing the existing objective of leading the midfield. Speaking exclusively to the Motorsport Network, the newly appointed British team principal admitted he was surprised by the news of Christian Horner’s departure from Red Bull Racing.
Horner’s dismissal triggered a reshuffle within the Red Bull organization, with Mekies being promoted to the role of CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing, and Permane stepping up to lead the Faenza-based Racing Bulls. Before this, Permane had served as deputy team principal at the outfit.
While proud to take on the top job, Alan Permane said he was genuinely shocked by the developments at Red Bull. He expressed gratitude to Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff and the senior management in Austria for trusting him with the position, and also thanked Laurent Mekies for recommending his promotion. He reaffirmed that Racing Bulls’ core target of leading the midfield remains unchanged.
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Commenting on the developments at Red Bull and Racing Bulls, Permane said:
“I had many reactions to the news, some shock, some pride. It’s amazing that they feel I’m capable and have the potential to lead this team. I deeply thank the Red Bull Austria senior management, Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko, and, of course, Laurent Mekies for recommending me, pushing me forward, his belief in me as well. It’s been a great week.”
“It’s a great team and I know that the senior Red Bull guys are extremely happy with the way the team is being run. They’re very happy with our competitiveness. The target is to be top of the midfield, and we are certainly in a battle for that and we’ll continue that fight throughout this year.”
Liam Lawson shares his thoughts on Laurent Mekies leaving Racing Bulls and joining Red Bull
Liam Lawson believes Laurent Mekies’ move to Red Bull is a positive step, given the wealth of experience he brings. The Kiwi driver said that the recent changes at Red Bull and Racing Bulls are unlikely to impact his performance.
Lawson admitted he was surprised by the developments, including Christian Horner’s dismissal, which he only learned about through media reports. However, he expressed confidence that Mekies will perform well in his new role as Red Bull’s team principal and CEO.
Commenting for the first time on the subject of Horner’s dismissal and Mekies' promotion, Lawson said (via Motorsport Week):
“Yes, I would say – it wasn’t something we expected. But things obviously changed in Formula 1. As I said before, I think for me it was surprising having these changes. But it doesn’t really change too much from my point of view of what I’m trying to achieve... Probably same as everybody else in the media. I don’t remember when it was announced. But I found out basically afterwards.”
“I think, for the team, having somebody like Laurent Mekies coming in is great. I mean, Laurent is somebody who has done amazing things for our team. And he’s somebody I’ve really enjoyed working with. And I think he brings a lot with him to Red Bull Racing.”
Laurent Mekies brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at Renault F1, Ferrari, and the FIA before joining Racing Bulls. While he may not enjoy the same level of autonomy as Christian Horner, the position is significant given the centralized leadership Horner maintained at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes base.
Currently, Red Bull is fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, while Racing Bulls is seventh. As both teams continue to grapple with performance issues, the mid-season organizational shuffle is expected to bring both advantages and challenges.
At Racing Bulls, Isack Hadjar currently leads the driver tally with 21 points, while Liam Lawson has scored 12. Given Red Bull’s notoriously tough stance on underperformance from its junior drivers, Lawson will need to turn his season around and outperform Hadjar to secure his future with the Faenza-based outfit.
