He had to wait a few months, but Laurent Mekies will soon be starting his job as the new AlphaTauri team principal and now sees the time out as an advantage
On January 1, Laurent Mekies will officially start work as the new Formula 1 team principal of AlphaTauri. The former Ferrari sports director is still employed at Maranello until the end of this month, but has not worked since the summer break as he is on paid leave
He is of the opinion that the time off was actually beneficial. It has allowed him to gather his thoughts before returning to the team he previously worked for as an engineer at Minardi and Toro Rosso.
“In the beginning, when I realized I had to wait all those months, it was a bit frustrating,” Mekies admitted on the sidelines of the Autosport Awards at the weekend.
“You want to get going straight away and think about how you can contribute and support something. But the truth is, when you move from one job to another, you probably get immediately swept up in the intensity of the racing calendar and the day-to-day decisions you have to make,” he believes.
Mekies excited about new, old team
“So it was very fortunate to take a step back, look at the big picture and think about how you want to approach a lot of things – together with the great people there. Because that’s what our sport is all about now. It’s the people, it’s the interpersonal relationships.”
This is exactly what he is now looking forward to the most, Mekies emphasizes: “I am very, very happy to come from an incredible racing family and to go to another incredible racing family. I’m really, really grateful.”
AlphaTauri’s previous team principal Franz Tost retired at the end of the season. He is confident that the team he led for 18 years is in good hands. – And not just in Mekies’ hands. He will work alongside CEO Peter Beyer in a two-person constellation.
“Peter has been with us since June and we have worked very closely together. He now understands the team much better and he has a lot of experience. He knows Formula 1,” says Tost.
“And Laurent Mekies has already worked with us anyway. He knows the team from the past. I think that these two people are absolutely the right people to take over the team. And I expect them to take the team to another level, because they both have a lot of experience. “
What will the AlphaTauri team be called in 2024?
The two will not only open a new chapter for AlphaTauri in sporting terms. The team’s new name will also be announced next week when the FIA publishes the official list of Formula 1 participants for the 2024 season.
Christian Horner, boss of sister team Red Bull, recently said: “It is up to AlphaTauri to announce the name change. There is a lot of speculation, and of course company names, names of partners also play a role.”
“I’m sure they will announce at the right time what their new name will be next year, when the chapter of Franz has come to an end. Peter and Laurent Mekies have ambitious plans for the further development of the team,” announced the Red Bull team boss.
