Formula 1 team principal Laurent Mekies has firmly hit back at Christian Horner’s claim that his former squad has lost its mojo and distinctive vibe since his high-profile departure from Milton Keynes.
Horner was relieved of his duties as CEO and team principal after two decades at the helm following a turbulent power struggle and a notable performance slump midway through the 2025 season, paving the way for Mekies to take over the reins.
Despite receiving widespread praise for successfully stabilizing the outfit and engineering an impressive recovery on track, Horner recently took a swipe during an interview, suggesting the team had completely lost its presence and atmosphere.

Addressing these remarks head-on during the official press conference ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Mekies calmly rejected the narrative while acknowledging his predecessor's extensive history with the organization.
'Look, first of all, Christian is entitled to his opinion. He obviously has spent a lot of time in this team and I respect his point of view,' the Frenchman stated in front of the media.
'We certainly feel extremely differently about the vibe in the team. One of the strong points we have been enjoying certainly in the last few months is the incredible team spirit that has allowed us to come back from an objectively very difficult moment.'
Highlighting the sheer determination required to overcome challenging chassis and power unit limitations during the first half of the campaign, Mekies praised the collective resilience shown by every single staff member and driver.
'It's always one thing to have a positive spirit when you are winning races, it's something else to have that same fighting spirit and unity between the team members when you are put under pressure, and we certainly had a challenging first part of the year, on the chassis side and the PU side.'
While acknowledging the remarkable turnaround achieved by the factory, the Red Bull boss maintained that the ultimate objective remains firmly focused on securing future world championship titles rather than celebrating isolated race victories.
Red Bull currently occupies third position in the constructors' standings, locked in a fierce battle with McLaren with only five rounds remaining in the grueling world championship calendar.



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