Red Bull Racing
Laurent Philippe Mekies is a French engineer who began his F1 career as an engine race engineer with Asiatech in 2001 before moving to Minardi, where he worked as a race engineer for drivers including Mark Webber. When Minardi was rebranded as Toro Rosso in 2006, he became chief engineer and later head of vehicle performance. He joined the FIA in 2014 as Safety Director and was appointed Deputy F1 Race Director in 2017, playing a role in introducing the Halo cockpit protection device. After serving as Sporting Director and Racing Director at Ferrari from 2018 to mid-2023, he took over as Team Principal of the Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team (formerly AlphaTauri) in 2024. On 9 July 2025, following Christian Horner's dismissal after the British Grand Prix, Mekies was appointed CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, becoming the first person other than Horner to lead the team since its F1 debut in 2005.
Oracle Red Bull Racing is the four-time defending World Constructors' Champion, winning the title every season from 2022 to 2024. The 2026 driver lineup pairs Max Verstappen (four-time World Drivers' Champion) with French rookie Isack Hadjar, promoted from Racing Bulls. The team is based in Milton Keynes, UK, and runs Ford-branded power units from 2026.
2026 storyline
Background
- Base: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK
- Power unit: Ford (2026 onwards; previously Honda)
- Team principal: see team's official site for current leadership
- Founded as Stewart Grand Prix (1997), became Jaguar Racing (2000-2004), then Red Bull Racing from 2005[1]
Championship history
Red Bull's dominant eras came in two waves:
- 2010-2013: Four consecutive Constructors' Championships with Sebastian Vettel winning four consecutive Drivers' titles.
- 2021-2024: A renewed dominant run with Max Verstappen winning the Drivers' Championship four times consecutively. The team won Constructors' titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024[1].
The 2014-2020 period was a competitive trough for Red Bull during the Mercedes V6 hybrid era, with the team typically finishing third or fourth in the Constructors' Championship.
The Verstappen-Hadjar pairing
Hadjar's 2026 promotion from Racing Bulls follows the classic Red Bull Junior Team progression. The challenge of being paired with Verstappen is well-documented: Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon both struggled in the same role during 2019-2020. Hadjar's strong 2025 rookie season at Racing Bulls was the basis for promotion, but the step up in expectations is meaningful[1].
Driver lineup
- Max Verstappen: Dutch, VER, four-time World Drivers' Champion. See /drivers/max-verstappen.
- Isack Hadjar: French, HAD, sophomore season. See /drivers/isack-hadjar.
Related
- [1]Red Bull Racing (Wikipedia) (wikipedia-en). Accessed 2026-05-25.
- [2]Red Bull Racing: Formula 1 team (formula1). Accessed 2026-05-25.