After Zak Brown’s ‘healthier’ Red Bull verdict, Laurent Mekies talks about their “very good” relationship with McLaren ace

Laurent Mekies recently opened up on his relationship with the McLaren team and the conversation he held with McLaren chief Zak Brown during the Hungarian Grand Prix last week. The 48-year-old, who was recently appointed as team principal of the Red Bull Racing outfit, dubbed the relationship with the papaya colored outfit as very good off the back of the healthier remarks made by Zak Brown.

Earlier, McLaren CEO Zak Brown had detailed how the relationship between his team and Red Bull had strained under the leadership of Christian Horner, detailing how the politicking, which the 51-year-old was largely involved in, had made the interaction between both teams far from cordial. However, the American motorsports executive stressed that with Mekies at the helm of affairs, things have changed for the better between both teams’ leadership.

Laurent Mekies, who was appointed to replace Horner himself, confirmed he held a conversation with Brown and detailed that the relationship between both teams was ‘very good’. Sharing his thoughts with the media via Planet F1, he stated:

“You know, competition on track is one thing. Having discussions together to define the positions on the future of the sport, on key strategic decisions that we need to make as a sport for the future, is something that is normal to do between competitors.

“And as much as we will disagree there and there, or we will simply defend our short-term or mid-term interest, the truth is, we have a very good relationship with Zak, with Andrea [Stella],” he added.

Before he was appointed the Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies had served in several roles within the Formula 1 scene. He was more recently in charge of the Racing Bulls team after leaving his role with the FIA.

Laurent Mekies speaks on Red Bull’s outing at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Laurent Mekies also reflected on the performance of the Red Bull Racing outing at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The French motorsports executive admitted that the Budapest race was really difficult for the Austrian team.

Mekies, speaking to the media after the race, explained how the team missed a few key things at the Hungaroring event.

“It has been a very tough weekend from the first lap in FP1, and the race reflected this. We have certainly missed something quite key this weekend, and looked at many things with both Yuki and Max to try to get back to the level we had and get the car in the right window. The team has tried everything, but the underlying performance was missing to be able to fight at the top end,” he said.

The Hungarian Grand Prix proved to be one of the most difficult races for the Red Bull outfit since the appointment of Laurent Mekies as team principal. At the race, Max Verstappen could only muster a ninth place while teammate Yuki Tsunoda could only finish in 17th place.