F1 information: The three key questions going through Purple Bull F1 after the stunning Christian Horner information

Because the mud settles from a dramatic day in Formulation 1, it’s time to look forward.

Christian Horner is out at Purple Bull, having been sacked as Staff Principal and compelled at hand over “operational” management of the staff after 20 years in that position. Stepping in on the high of the staff is Laurent Mekies, who spent the final season-plus because the Staff Principal at Visa Money App Racing Bulls, Purple Bull’s junior staff.

As we start to look forward, listed below are three key questions going through Purple Bull as they give the impression of being to proper the ship.

Is Laurent Mekies the precise individual for the job?

Picture by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Photographs

For 20 years, Purple Bull has identified one Staff Principal, Christian Horner.

That run, which spanned eight Drivers’ Championships, six Constructors’ titles, and a complete lot of race wins.

Nevertheless, Horner has now handed over operational management of the staff to Laurent Mekies, who inherits a legacy that features one of the crucial proficient drivers within the sport’s historical past, together with a number of complications.

Is he up for the job?

Mekies’ F1 journey started again in 2001 when he first joined Arrows, earlier than shifting to Minardi the next season. That’s when he first crossed paths together with his present employer, as Purple Bull purchased out Minardi and rebranded the staff as Toro Rosso. Mekies stayed with the staff, working his means as much as Head of Automobile Efficiency, and was there when Sebastian Vettel delivered a dream efficiency on the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, taking each pole place and the race victory.

Thus far that’s the solely win in Toro Rosso — now Visa Money App Racing Bulls — historical past. That season additionally noticed the Purple Bull junior staff outscore the senior staff within the standings, which can also be the one time that has occurred in F1 historical past.

Mekies moved to the FIA for the 2014 motorsports season, beginning out as a security director earlier than turning into the Deputy Race Director for F1. However in September of 2018, he returned to pit lane, becoming a member of Ferrari because the staff’s Sporting Director. This was seen as controversial on the time, as Ferrari introduced in March of that yr that Mekies would be part of the staff within the fall. A number of groups blasted the transfer as a violation of a “gentleman’s settlement” relating to required gardening go away when FIA officers — who’ve entry to delicate staff information — take positions with F1 groups.

“We [are] very sad with the FIA for shedding yet one more key worker to a racing staff,” McLaren racing director Eric Boullier informed Motorsport.com. “Particularly after it was agreed by all groups on the final Technique Group assembly that no key technical FIA workers can be employed by a race staff inside 12 months of leaving the FIA.

“Ferrari went towards the gentleman’s settlement, and the FIA has not enforced it.”

One other Staff Principal blasted the transfer.

However there was an understanding and a transparent assertion by the groups to say, ‘Proper, let’s have a transparent place that there ought to be no less than a interval of 12 months within the backyard for a member of the staff going from both FOM or FIA to a staff or a staff going vice versa.’

“Sure groups had been pushing for it to be three years, however in the long run, it was agreed upon being 12 months. What’s disappointing is that that assembly was lower than six weeks in the past, and, arguably, discussions had been in all probability occurring at the moment. It nearly makes these conferences pointless if we will’t agree on one thing and motion it. In fact, you’ll be able to disguise behind, ‘Effectively it’s not within the laws,’ however as a bunch, we agreed on one thing, it hasn’t been adhered to, and so one questions what’s the purpose of getting these conferences.”

That Staff Principal? None aside from Christian Horner.

Mekies rapidly rose via the ranks at Ferrari, turning into the staff’s Deputy Staff Principal and Racing Director in 2021. However in 2023 his former staff got here calling, and it was introduced in April of that yr he can be leaving Ferrari and take a task because the Staff Principal at AlphaTauri — now VCARB — and he departed Ferrari in July.

Final yr he led the staff to an eighth-place end within the Constructors’ Championship standings whereas navigating persistent questions over the driving force lineup. VCARB started the yr with Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo within the automotive, however Ricciardo was sidelined following the Singapore Grand Prix in favor of Liam Lawson.

How that call was dealt with by the complete group was a matter of some controversy, given Ricciardo’s standing as a fan favourite. Mekies addressed that subject the next race weekend at the USA Grand Prix.

“Sure, it was irritating and sure, you’re proper. It was not preferrred to undergo the weekend in that means,” stated Mekies to the media, together with SB Nation, in Austin final October. ”To start with, for him on knowledgeable and on a private matter, and for the entire staff, round him. Sure, Daniel was conscious. We did have discussions earlier than the weekend. For a lot of totally different causes, we selected collectively to enter that weekend with out saying. And from that time on, we’ve to cope with it.

“It’s a call that in hindsight, we could, or could not do in another way, but it surely’s one thing that we had been each, each the staff and the drivers had been on board, to undergo that,” continued Mekies. “Now, I feel in a method or one other, all of us discovered a method to categorical how a lot love there may be from the game to Daniel. From the followers to Daniel.

“So, I don’t know if it will have been higher or worse,” continued Mekies. “Definitely totally different, extra conventional. I can hopefully say that the quantity of affection and empathy we felt via that weekend, was one thing else, one thing that reveals that he’s larger than an F1 driver, he’s larger than F1.”

Questions over the staff’s driver lineup lingered into 2025. VCARB began the season with Tsunoda and rookie Isack Hadjar within the automotive, however after Lawson struggled with the senior staff he was demoted, switching spots with Tsunoda.

Proper now VCARB is seventh within the Constructors’ Championship standings with 36 factors, simply 5 factors out of sixth place.

However now, Mekies is within the massive chair, as CEO and Staff Principal at Purple Bull. His prolonged resume, coupled with how he has navigated life on the junior staff the previous two seasons, would point out he’s prepared for the second. Whereas some may marvel if he’ll be prepared for the stress cooker that’s Purple Bull, spending a couple of seasons on the stress cooker that’s Ferrari — and there may not be a extra irritating atmosphere within the sport — ought to have him prepared.

However solely Mekies can reply this query for certain.

What occurs with their lineup, non-Max Verstappen version?

That is additionally a significant query, one which has plagued Purple Bull for a number of seasons now.

Since Ricciardo’s departure from the senior staff on the finish of the 2018 marketing campaign, Purple Bull has churned via a couple of totally different drivers, attempting to lock down the spot alongside Max Verstappen. Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon had been the choices in 2019 and 2020. Then the staff turned to Sergio Pérez for 2021 however parted methods with him on the finish of final season in favor of Lawson.

However Lawson lasted simply two races, earlier than giving method to Tsunoda. Solely Tsunoda has didn’t ship the efficiency the staff wants, scoring simply seven factors over his ten race weekends within the spot.

How Mekies handles this case is perhaps the second-biggest query he must reply: The place does he go from right here? Given his relationship with Tsunoda from the previous two seasons, can he get essentially the most out of him as a driver? Will he flip to a different present VCARB driver, Isack Hadjar, for the second seat subsequent yr? Will he give Arvid Lindblad a shot, the younger phenom rocketing his means up the ranks inside the group? Or will Mekies look outdoors Purple Bull, one thing Horner hinted at when addressing the media earlier than the British Grand Prix?

How Mekies handles Purple Bull’s lineup is an enormous query, and the second seat is an enormous consider that query.

However in fact, it’s not the most important.

What occurs with their driver lineup, Max Verstappen version?

How this query will get answered doubtless determines the reply to the primary one.

Can Mekies preserve Verstappen within the fold?

When the information of Horner’s sacking broke on Wednesday, many rushed to the conclusion that the transfer would preserve Verstappen with the staff. There may be definitely proof for such a proposition, given the strain between Horner and Verstappen’s staff at first of final season. When Horner was underneath stress because of the extreme allegations of misconduct raised towards him by a Purple Bull worker, Staff Verstappen — led by Jos Verstappen, Max’s father — didn’t maintain again of their criticism. “There may be pressure right here whereas he stays in place,” stated the elder Verstappen in an interview with the Day by day Mail in March of 2024. “The staff is at risk of being torn aside. It may’t go on the best way it’s. It’s going to explode. He’s enjoying the sufferer, when he’s the one inflicting the issues.”

Nevertheless Erik van Haren, a longtime F1 journalist and famous Verstappen whisperer, poured chilly water on that conclusion Wednesday. Talking on Sky Sports activities F1, van Haren made it clear that past Horner’s departure, how the staff improves the RB21 this yr — and develops the RB22 for subsequent yr — are extra necessary.

“You’re getting now plenty of experiences and folks pondering okay Horner is out, so meaning Verstappen will keep. I don’t suppose it’s that clear. I feel what for the Verstappens is most necessary is that the staff is making steps with the automotive. They’ve plenty of issues with this automotive,” started van Haren on Sky Sports activities F1.

“They need extra efficiency after which they will make the choice: is that this our staff for the long run, sure or no. I feel this determination [with Horner] has been made to get extra peace within the staff but additionally perhaps to say to Verstappen, perhaps for you it is a good second to remain.

“Possibly it provides Purple Bull a greater likelihood to maintain him within the staff however that’s not a assure at this level,” added the journalist.

“I feel he’ll make up his thoughts this month. They’ve two weeks to go earlier than the summer time break so he has plenty of time to suppose and likewise to see how the automotive is performing.”

In some methods, this tracks with language from Horner in his closing days, and even throughout his goodbye remarks to the staff. For months as hypothesis swirled round Verstappen, the previous Purple Bull boss pointed to a bit of paper, sustaining that Verstappen was underneath contract via 2028 and anything was noise.

However because the drumbeats over Verstappen to Mercedes grew louder, Horner pivoted. Talking on the FIA Press Convention forward of the British Grand Prix, in what for the second stands as his closing FIA presser, Horner had this to say:

“No one, with hand on coronary heart, can know what the pecking order goes to be … It could possibly be Ferrari. It could possibly be Mercedes. It could possibly be anybody.

“There’s an terrible lot of subjectiveness to 2026, and it’ll solely be actually this time subsequent yr that you just’ll have a transparent indication of what that pecking order is. So, there are not any ensures that leaping right into a Mercedes automotive would robotically be a greater proposition (emphasis added).”

Then in his remarks at Purple Bull Wednesday he talked about the brand new energy unit program Purple Bull is growing in partnership with Ford, saying to the staff: “What lies forward with [Red Bull] Powertrains is actually thrilling and I’ll simply be very unhappy I gained’t be right here to see the engine efficiency.”

For weeks Horner’s place relating to Verstappen was that the hypothesis about his future was simply noise, however within the closing days he turned to the automotive itself, and what Purple Bull might need subsequent yr.

Had been these closing pitches to Verstappen, even on Horner’s means out the door? An indication that Purple Bull has one thing up their sleeves for 2026? Or only a proud goodbye?

These at the moment are the questions going through Mekies.

How he solutions them may simply decide his, and Verstappen’s, future.

And the clock is ticking.