Latest news with #PeterBayer
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Meet Christian Horner's replacement at Red Bull: Goatee-sporting Laurent Mekies, 48, has a 24-year link with Max Verstappen's dad - and now has the mega-job he never really wanted
Laurent Mekies has been handed the keys to one of Formula One's grandest kingdoms. The Frenchman has been named as Christian Horner 's replacement as Red Bull CEO, filling the boots of one of the most successful men in the sport. Red Bull dismissed Horner on Wednesday morning in news which hit the F1 world like an asteroid. The need to move on with brutal efficiency was underlined when, within an hour of that bombshell revelation, Mekies was publicly promoted from his team principal role at feeder team Racing Bulls. The clock ticks. The next GP, in Belgium, looms in just over two weeks. With his distinctive grey locks, moustache, goatee, and soul patch, Mekies brings an air of Albert Einstein about him - and you need some of his intellect to survive almost a quarter of a century in this cut-throat sport. There's also a genuine and sanguine nature to Mekies - his media duties, conducted in good English, are often accompanied with a smile and contagious energy. Grinning as he reflected on his Racing Bulls exit, he said: 'The last year and a half has been an absolute privilege to lead the team with Peter (Bayer, CEO). 'The spirit inside Racing Bulls is incredible, and I'm convinced this is just the beginning. Alan is the perfect man to take over now—he knows every bolt on that car and has been one of the pillars of our early successes.' Onwards and upwards, then, for Mekies, who now has one of the highest-profile jobs in motorsport. Mekies, 48, has spent 24 years in F1 working in a variety of roles with Arrows, Minardi, Ferrari, and Red Bull's consistently redbranded nursery team. A winding path, but this wasn't always the destination he intended. In an interview last year he admitted that becoming a team principal had never been his 'dream' - to him, being a race engineer and having close contact with the drivers was the 'best job in the world'. Mekies has a strrong educational background, having studied in Paris and Loughborough, and took his first professional role in motorsport in 2000 with Asiatech in Formula Three. His first gig in F1 came with Arrows in 2001, where he worked in the background while Jos Verstappen and Enrique Bernoldi were out on track. Yes, that's right - his first contact with Formula One came in the same team as Max Verstappen's father. That 2001 campaign was gruelling and will have prepared Mekies for any hardship in the sport. Arrows finished 10th out of 11 teams on the grid and scored a solitary point in Austria, which happened to be the last in Verstappen's career. From there he moved to Minardi, many fans' favourite underdog, and cut his teeth as a race engineer with Mark Webber, Justin Wilson, Zsolt Baumgartner, and Christijan Albers. Again, there was not much glamour at Minardi. The Italian minnows only scored 11 points in their last decade in the sport until Red Bull bought them out in 2005 and rechristened them as Scuderia Toro Rosso. At the time of that switch, Mekies was promoted to be the team's chief engineer, and in a spell spanning almost a decade he would rise to be head of vehicle performance. The aim of the game at Toro Rosso was clear - rear talent for Horner's Red Bull outfit, which also entered the scene in 2005 and became a leading outfit inside half a decade. In that era, Mekies worked alongside a wide variety of drivers, many of whom were tipped for big futures but fell onto the F1 scrapheap as the Red Bull conveyor belt churned them out. Daniel Ricciardo is the main name from that era and the one whose legacy has survived. The others, namely Vitantonio Liuzzi, Scott Speed, Sebastien Bourdais, Jaime Alguersuari, Sebastien Buemi, and Jean-Eric Vergne, will be less familiar to the new generation of F1 fans but recognisable to longer-term viewers. In 2014, just a year before Verstappen burst onto the scene at the junior team, Mekies left and began a four-year spell with the sport's governing body, the FIA. There, he was the safety director and deputy race director, before - you guessed it, there's another director title on his CV - he took up the post of Ferrari's sporting director in 2018. Being a sporting director is one of the most hectic and high-pressured jobs in F1 outside of being a team principal. It involves managing a team's logistics and travel, keeping in touch with the FIA over sporting matters, understanding and interpreting the regulations, and a whole host of other responsibilities. In other words, a decent trainign ground for the top job one day. That's exactly the chance he got in 2024 when RB came calling, so back to his old stomping ground he returned. It wasn't an easy season for RB - they finished eighth out of 10 - but he proved his brutality when he canned Ricciardo with six races to go, giving Liam Lawson a chance in the hotseat. Mekies later admitted that they should have handled Ricciardo's sudden exit better. He was given no official send-off because his exit was only announced several days after the Singapore GP, and by rhe time the United States GP rolled around, Lawson was in place. 'We are not happy with ultimately how we handled it, and of course we are very conscious that we could, and we should, have done a better job at that,' said Mekies. This season has been better, with RB placed seventh and in with a fighting chance of a top-half finish - about as good as they have ever been able to expect. In all their iterations, Red Bull's feeder outfit have finished as high as sixth, back in 2019 and 2021. RB seldom grab headlines and, as such, Mekies has been little more than a peripheral name to most fans until now: an occasional voice on Sky Sports' broadcasts. Yet he has been thrust suddenly into the big time at a moment of jeopardy for one of the sport's trailblazers. Red Bull sit fourth in the Constructors' standings and only because of Max Verstappen's brilliance. Yuki Tsunoda described his car as 'outstandingly slow' en route to coming 15th (last of all the finishers) at Silverstone. It is a boost to Mekies that Max verstappen recently confirmed his long-term future at Red Bull in an exclusive interview with Mail Sport. Whether he did that with any knowledge of Horner's situation is unclear. Mekies is tasked with rescuing Red Bull's most turbulent season in a decade and leading them into a 2026 campaign which will see sweeping rule changes and a power unit partnership with Ford.
Telegraph
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Award-winning brand ensures the F1 season is a must-watch
TUDOR has established a long and proud legacy of competing on the racetrack. The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève award-winning watch brand has supported winning teams during the golden era of motorsport, starting with the TUDOR Watch Racing Team in the late 1960s, all the way to the recent IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Now, in 2025, it's returned to the grid once more, supporting the Visa Cash App RB F1 team. In the driving hot seat are exciting youngsters Isak Hadjer and Liam Lawson - fearless talents with exceptional pace and sharp racing instincts, both eager to make their mark on Formula 1's biggest stage. The team has undergone a radical shake-up, including the striking livery which chimes in perfectly with the brand, emblazoned on the drivers' race suits and cars. The shake-up for the latest F1 season accesses all areas, from management to engineering, for this season's adventure, aimed at making the Visa Cash App RB team a F1 front-runner. 'TUDOR has always been fuelled by a daring spirit, a consistent will to do things differently,' notes chief executive Eric Pirson. 'And this spirit – we call it 'Born To Dare' – is exactly what Visa Cash App RB is demonstrating heading into the 2025 F1 season. We're beyond thrilled to return to motorsport with a partner that's ready to take on the challenge.' Peter Bayer, chief executive of Visa Cash App RB F1 team, is in agreement. 'We are delighted to welcome TUDOR to our team,' he says. 'They have a long history in motorsport, dating back to the 1960s when they first got involved in sports car racing, as well as historic racing and rallying. Now, the Swiss watch company has seized the opportunity to move up to the very pinnacle of motorsport, joining us, as we tackle this championship with our new Visa Cash App RB identity. Our team will be challenging the status quo in F1 with a strong identity, unique style and uncompromising quality – just like TUDOR watches.' The teamwork promises to be a winning formula. TUDOR has a long history of crafting some of the most reliable, singular and cutting-edge timepieces such as the Black Bay and Pelagos collections, and is renowned for doing things its own way – that's what encapsulates the 'Born To Dare' spirit and the Visa Cash App RB partnership speaks to that. Adding the watchmaker's name on a winning car is the easy part; choosing the right team to support was another story. TUDOR wanted to secure the team that showed promise and shared a daring ethos and a fighting spirit. In other words, a committed team that was ready to take on the challenge of getting to pole position. And that's why it joined Visa Cash App RB. The Swiss watch brand is always on a mission to push boundaries, seen clearly in bold, technical pieces like the ultra-lightweight Black Bay Chrono Carbon 25 and the sporty sophistication of the Black Bay Chrono with its new five-link bracelet; each engineered with the same spirit of precision and performance that drives F1. Discover the TUDOR Watches collection at part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, the UK's largest luxury watch retailer. Shop in their showrooms, online or in a selection of TUDOR mono-brand boutiques. This content is provided by an advertiser, and while every care is taken in ensuring the content complies with the Advertising Standards Authority and the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code), Telegraph Media Group assumes no responsibility in the effect rising therefrom, and readers are advised to seek professional advice before acting on any information. The Daily Telegraph/TMG does not accept any liability for views expressed, pictures used or claims made by advertisers.
TimesLIVE
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Racing Bulls to run bold magenta livery for Miami Grand Prix
To complement the retina-scorching car, the team will also debut custom race suits and a themed garage set-up, further immersing itself in the spirit of the event. 'Miami holds a special place for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls — it's where we debuted our very first livery as a team last year, which was a moment that set the tone for who we are: bold, creative and willing to push the boundaries,' said VCARB CEO Peter Bayer. 'Since that debut, we've continued to make waves with striking special liveries in Singapore and Las Vegas, each one crafted in collaboration with our partners and met with real excitement from fans. The Red Bull Summer Edition livery is a celebration of everything Miami represents and is a perfect synergy between us and Red Bull.'
Reuters
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Lawson back to his old self, says Racing Bulls boss
JEDDAH, April 18 (Reuters) - Liam Lawson has picked himself up from being dropped by Red Bull in March and is back to his old self, Racing Bulls boss Peter Bayer said on Friday. The New Zealander was promoted to the main Red Bull Formula One team after they split with under-performing Mexican Sergio Perez but lasted only two races before being demoted back to sister team Racing Bulls in a straight swap with Yuki Tsunoda. Although the 23-year-old has yet to score a point in four races this season, while French rookie teammate Isack Hadjar has opened his account, team chief executive Bayer sounded positive at the Saudi Grand Prix. "I think it took a moment for him to digest," the Austrian said of how Lawson had been since his return to the Faenza-based team. "First time I saw him when he came to Italy, he looked a bit sad. Honestly, that's how I perceived him. He was a bit puzzled with everything that happened very quickly. "But also, at the same time, he knew the people, the tools, the set-up. "And I really felt that very quickly he was returning to being the old Liam. He's a great racer, somebody that has great humour, and that's what we see now again."
Reuters
18-02-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
F1 teams discuss swearing clampdown after weekend incidents
LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Formula One teams have discussed the governing body's clampdown on swearing after mixed responses to incidents in other series at the weekend. Racing Bulls' chief executive Peter Bayer told reporters ahead of an unprecedented 10-team launch in London that the subject had been a topic at a Formula One commission meeting on Tuesday and saw progress. The FIA published amendments to the sporting code in January to set out stiff sanctions for drivers who break the rules concerning conduct, including bad language. A first offence in F1 now triggers a 40,000 euro ($41,864) fine, rising to 80,000 for the second and 120,000 with a one month suspension and deduction of championship points for a third breach. "I think we all agree we want to keep those emotions alive," Bayer said of drivers expressing themselves in colourful language over the radio. "We do have the beeping already from F1 with the delayed broadcast, which is probably taking care of a lot of the emotions." Bayer cited recent cases in Formula E and world rallying as examples of how situations were likely to be dealt with. British driver Dan Ticktum escaped punishment for an expletive-laden rant over the team radio in a Formula E race in Jeddah last Friday, with stewards ruling it was an internal discussion. Hyundai's French rally driver Adrien Fourmaux was handed a 10,000 euro fine, with another 20,000 suspended, in Sweden on Sunday, however, for swearing in a live post-race broadcast interview. That was the first time a driver has been punished under the new rules. "We want to have a clear briefing of what should be said and should not be said," said Bayer, whose team's two drivers Yuki Tsunoda and rookie Isack Hadjar have a reputation for lively radio communications. "But overall, I think it's going in the right direction, preserving the emotions, not making it too profane at the same time and making sure that we develop as a sport." Racing Bulls' principal Laurent Mekies said all parties were seeking a balance between entertainment and regulation, allowing the drivers to express their emotions while respecting their role model status. "I have every confidence that we will ultimately arrive on a good balance point," he said. "There have been some ups and downs but I think that we will find a reasonable solution for the start of the season." The season starts in Australia on March 16.
