{
  "id": 17398122,
  "title": "Mekies dismisses Horner’s claim that Red Bull have lost team spirit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/mekies-dismisses-horners-claim-that-red-bull-have-lost-team-spirit",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-31T12:03:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mekies-dismisses-horner-claim-red-120323624.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull, has rejected Christian Horner's assertion that the team has lost its team spirit since his departure. Mekies took over as team principal in July of the previous year, following Horner's dismissal after a successful 20-year tenure. Red Bull has had a challenging start to the current season under the new regulations, but they have shown improvement in recent races, with Max Verstappen winning back-to-back rounds in Malaysia and Singapore.\n\nDuring a recent book promotion, Horner had claimed that the team's vibe is not the same since he left. However, Mekies, when asked about this claim, stated that Horner is entitled to his opinion and respects it. He emphasized that the team spirit is extremely different for him, and the team's unity and determination have been crucial in overcoming the difficult challenges faced in the first part of the season.\n\nMekies highlighted the incredible team spirit that has allowed Red Bull to bounce back from a tough start. He pointed out the way the team set the Milton Keynes department on fire to try and recover, and how they have maintained that spirit throughout the season. He believes that this team spirit is one of the strongest points that Red Bull has been drawing on.\n\nRed Bull is using their own power trains for the first time this season, the result of a five-year project initiated in 2021 and overseen by Horner until his departure. The team's engine has been ranked the best on the grid by the FIA, and the team is starting to reap the rewards of their efforts. Red Bull currently sits joint-third in the constructors' standings, tied on points with McLaren, but trailing 252 points behind the leading Mercedes team. Despite their progress, Mekies remains focused on pushing the team forward to once again be in contention for the championship. He acknowledged that while positive spirit is important when the team is winning races, it is a different matter when the team is under pressure. He expressed that the team's current goal is to achieve world titles, and until they reach that level, they will be seen as having not achieved anything.",
  "summary": "Laurent Mekies dismissed Christian Horner’s claim that Formula One team Red Bull have “lost their mojo” since his departure. The Frenchman replaced Horner at the helm of the team after the 52-year-old was sacked following a trophy-laden 20-year spell in charge in July last year.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Motorsport.com",
        "title": "Red Bull F1 boss Laurent Mekies hits back at Christian Horner's \"lost its mojo\" claim",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/red-bull-f1-boss-laurent-mekies-hits-back-at-christian-horners-lost",
        "published": "2026-10-30T21:30:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}