Mekies' Ferrari-inspired strategy is crucial for Red Bull's resurgence.

      "He has implemented a new strategy for technical setup."

      Red Bull’s unexpected resurgence following Christian Horner’s dismissal has caught the attention of many, especially those who previously collaborated with the former team principal. Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos mentioned that the team's transformation under Laurent Mekies must be challenging for Horner to witness, even with his financial cushion from what is rumored to be a $100 million severance package. "The decision by the Red Bull board to let go of Christian Horner mid-season was remarkable," Doornbos shared on the Pit Talk Podcast. "Nobody anticipated it—not the team, nor Christian himself." Nevertheless, Doornbos acknowledged that the switch has proven successful. "It's unusual to see, and it must be difficult for Christian," he remarked. "After just two weekends, he secured his first Grand Prix victory," referencing Mekies, whose composed, engineering-focused method contrasts sharply with Horner’s approach. Dr. Helmut Marko concurs that the Frenchman’s technical expertise has injected new enthusiasm into the operation. "He’s introduced a new method for technical setup," the Austrian shared with Sky Deutschland. "We’re no longer significantly off the pace on Fridays like we used to be. We were close to giving up during the summer, but now there’s a renewed hunger among everyone, which fosters a great dynamic." With Max Verstappen returning to a dominant form and aggressively pursuing the leading McLarens, Marko believes Red Bull no longer has any evident weaknesses. "There isn’t any track where we would have to say we are at a disadvantage," he stated. In La Gazzetta dello Sport, technical analyst Paolo Filisetti elaborated on the changes at Milton Keynes since Mekies took over. He noted that beginning from Monza—coinciding with the introduction of a new floor and the team’s implementation of Ferrari-style simulator routines—Red Bull started to refine its baseline setup much more precisely ahead of each race weekend. Filisetti pointed out that this increased simulator activity "minimized the margin for error and consequently reduced time loss, which is crucial during a Sprint format weekend," enabling the team to arrive with a more polished baseline and execute without mistakes on-site. He remarked that since Mekies assumed leadership, "numerous subtle changes, which are hardly noticeable from the outside, have taken place," illustrating how leadership nuances "can lead to what may seem like minor differences that, in reality, are far from it."