Laurent Mekies reveals Christian Horner "was the first to call" after Red Bull replacement

Laurent Mekies has revealed that former Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner was the first to contact him following his appointment, and has remained supportive during the team’s leadership transition

Laurent Mekies has revealed that Christian Horner was the first to contact him following his promotion to Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal, and has been "nothing else than supportive."

Mekies replaced Horner in the role on 9 July, following the British Grand Prix. After just under two weeks with the team, the Frenchman is now taking part in his first race weekend in Belgium as the head of the Milton Keynes outfit.

While speaking to the media at Spa-Francorchamps, Mekies revealed that he has been in contact with Horner.

"At first, yes, we have spoken. He has been nothing else than supportive, even in the extremely difficult context for him," Mekies explained.

"You know, he was the first one to text. He was the first one to call. I think again this morning or yesterday, we text each other again. So, he has been nothing else than supportive, which is very impressive in the context. And you know, nobody is going to replace his character. Nobody is going to replace him.

"I come in to do the CEO and the team principal job. Is there any way one can do it in the same way as Christian's? No, or at least certainly not me. But, we'll be relying on the incredible strength that there is in this team. Everybody is stepping up.

Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

"It's certainly an opportunity to look for even more empowerment of our people. Every time we have a discussion with Jonathan, we talk about, look how much strength in depth you have in this team. And that's what you find. So we will certainly look at this phase as a way to get our incredible people to step up and to create together the next competitive advantage for the next regulation phase."

Horner has not spoken publicly since his exit from the team, apart from one post on social media to share the news. "It’s been an honour to be part of this incredible era of motorsport. I leave with immense pride in what we’ve achieved and also with what’s in the pipeline for 2026 — and huge respect for everyone who’s made F1 the pinnacle it is today," he wrote.