Laurent Mekies, the brand-new team principal of Red Bull Racing, watched qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen finished P4, behind Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Charles Leclerc. For the newly appointed Red Bull boss,

New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies stressed that four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen is "central" to the project of bringing the team back to the top. "Max is central to the project and he's key to the project and we need his magic at the racetrack.

Max Verstappen said Red Bull could always count on him, as the four-times Formula One champion gave new team boss Laurent Mekies a winning start in a Saturday sprint at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Sky Sports F1 commentator Nico Rosberg addressed Christian Horner leaving Red Bull after the massive shake-up.

Mekies received a surprise call from Red Bull executives Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko just hours before the news was made public. “I got a call a few hours before you guys were made aware,” Mekies told reporters at Spa on Friday. “I got a call from Oliver and Helmut, and they asked me if I would be interested to do the job.

Red Bull’s freshly appointed team principal Laurent Mekies has declared Max Verstappen as “central” to the outfit's long-term vision,

Laurent Mekies might have faced an intense fortnight stepping into his new role as team principal, but he didn’t appear to be feeling the effects as he prepared to outline his vision.

Red Bull Formula 1 chief engineer Paul Monaghan has admitted Christian Horner’s sacking was a “shock”, and acknowledged boosting the squad's fortunes would be tough for new CEO Laurent Mekies.