How Mekies has already made his mark at Red Bull – and why the team’s future looks safe in his hands

People. They were who Laurent Mekies considered the most important part of the Red Bull team he took charge of last summer, and they were who he listened to and who he prioritised getting in the right places over the last 12 months as he plotted the team's return to the top.

When he took over from Christian Horner, the only other person to have led the energy drinks firm’s factory F1 team since their debut in 2005, the team was in a state of flux. They were lacking stability in several areas, and the lack of a solid foundation meant the squad were at risk of losing their prime asset Max Verstappen.