After taking over as the head of the team from Red Bull veteran Franz Tost, Mekies, who previously worked for Ferrari and FIA, will lead the team together with Peter Bayer, the former FIA member and new CEO of VCARB. The duo will guide the team’s 2024 F1 campaign, with Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda as the drivers.
During the launch of the team’s new car livery in Las Vegas, Mekies expressed the enthusiasm surrounding the rebranded team: “How often do you embark on a project that essentially starts a new team? That’s the energy that is present in Faenza right now. We are establishing a new team on an exceptional foundation.”
He also discussed the restructuring that will take place under his leadership: “We have had two headquarters for a long time – Faenza and Bicester. The design and aero departments in Bicester will relocate to new facilities in Milton Keynes.”
“We are in 2024,” Mekies stated. “The world has undergone significant changes. The way people interact is also evolving. We want to make it work. We want our company to be location-independent.”
“If a department is divided between Faenza and Milton Keynes tomorrow, we believe it’s acceptable. It is a challenge, but it brings numerous advantages. We can hire the best individuals in the UK and Europe,” Mekies added.
One longstanding issue is that Red Bull possesses two teams out of the ten in Formula 1. This gives them a considerable advantage over the other nine teams, as they have four cars on the grid compared to the two of their competitors.
However, as the team aims to climb the F1 hierarchy, the threat of their “junior team” taking away points (and prize money) from their rivals becomes more significant. Hypothetically, if Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finish first and second in their Red Bulls, and Ricciardo and Tsunoda finish third and fourth in the VCARBs, it will undoubtedly draw attention to the two Red Bull teams.
This scrutiny will extend to race tactics and the extent to which the RBR and VCARB cars resemble each other, as they intend to maximize the sharing of technology allowed by the F1 regulations, including the gearbox, as well as the front and rear suspensions.
But Mekies asserts: “We are not exactly operating at full capacity, but we are very close to it – as you would if you were under the same ownership. The regulations are completely clear in terms of what you must do yourself and what you can purchase.
“Traditionally, for instance, it is accepted that you acquire your power unit from a third party. Along with the power unit, you have the option to purchase the gearbox and suspension. These are the primary components that you can utilize if you choose to do so.
“The regulations ensure that you are responsible for the rest of the car – your chassis, aerodynamics, cooling systems, and anything else that affects performance – these are elements that define manufacturers and the regulations are explicit.
“We are in a situation where we have one owner of two teams, and naturally, we are being asked – ‘what can we share?’ We should share. We are studying the regulations and implementing the sharing that we are capable of. As for the part we control – which is the majority of the car – we are pushing as much as we can to compete for greater rewards.”
Mekies continued: “However, there are also drawbacks. If you acquire another team’s gearbox, which many teams are doing, you will have to wait until the team has designed the gearbox to determine the suspension points – which affects your aerodynamic decisions. There are compromises.”
Regarding their 2024 F1 contender, Mekies disclosed: “We have developed the car up until the end of last year, so the starting point is not very different from what you saw in Abu Dhabi. Alongside all the significant changes we are implementing, we will strive to find our new direction and rate of development, which will hopefully lead us to a better position.
“But we are aware that the early stages of the season will likely be challenging due to the intensity with which we pushed at the end of last year and the extent of the changes we made this winter.
“It’s natural that this will delay the proper development until later in the season. It’s a deliberate decision we have made, even if it may cause short-term difficulties. We are aiming to build a new project and build it for the long term,” Mekies added.
Last year, as AlphaTauri, the team finished eighth in the F1 Constructors standings. 2024 will mark the RB ‘Junior’ team’s 19th season in the top tier, including the Toro Rosso era. During this period, their highest finish was sixth place in 2008, 2019, and 2021.
According to the Source grandprix247.com