Mekis: The scale of Red Bull's achievements should not be underestimated.

      Yesterday at Silverstone, Laurent Mekies spent his first working day as the new head and CEO of Red Bull Racing – at the British racetrack, the team held an official filming day. He appeared in their garages for the first time, but not yet in uniform, just in a white shirt, and gave his first interview.

      "Today is only my first day of unexpectedly becoming part of this team," Mekies admitted. "I look forward to meeting all its members. It still feels a bit unreal—being in the Red Bull garage and not seeing Christian Horner here."

      One cannot underestimate the scale of what this team has achieved over 20 years of his leadership. We met 20 years ago, when he was the youngest team principal in Formula 1, and seeing how he brought it to the level it is at now is simply incredible. The team has won numerous titles and races.

      I view this team, like many others watching from the outside: we see that it employs the best specialists in the world. That is true; even when we were rivals, we considered it the strongest team, able to assemble the best talent.

      Joining this team is a real privilege, and the main focus must be on providing all these talented people with everything they need to work most effectively…

      Red Bull’s DNA manifests in our approach to everything – we work and take high risks, smiling. At the same time, we remember that we have the best job in the world, and we are driven by a colossal desire to achieve victories.

      Looking to the future, I am inspired by my appointment as team principal, and together we will achieve great results based on the incredible legacy Christian Horner has left after twenty years at the helm.

      From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for the support I felt over the past year and a half when I was leading Racing Bulls. I don’t feel like I’m leaving – I am remaining in this family: let’s just say I’ve crossed to the other side of the street. But I know that Peter Bayer, Alan Permane, and everyone else who made Racing Bulls special will take wonderful care of the team, and that’s more important than anything else.