Chapter closed. After so many push and pullin the end, it seems that Ferrari and Red Bull have arrived to the decisive handshake for the future of Mekies and beyond…
Ferrari-Red Bull, that's where it all started from
First things first: last month, through an official press release, AlphaTauri announced that from next season Laurent Mekies, currently track director of Ferrari, would become the new team principal of the Faenza team, replacing the retired Tost. The announcement was not liked at all by the top management of Maranello, who defined it as too much "aggressive”. Since that time, it seems that the relationship between Red Bull and Ferrari have started to lean. Mekies, in fact, following the announcement of AlphaTauri, has always been present at the Ferrari wall, also participating in the various press conferences called by the Federation during the race weekends (see Monte Carlo).
Ferrari: why not free Mekies right away?
But why did Ferrari do all this? The motivation is very simple and is linked to the will of the prancing Horse di wanting to anticipate the arrival in Maranello of the various technicians who, having worked for Red Bull, must respect the classic gardening period. For this reason, Ferrari was determined not to free Mekies by making sure that, by saying goodbye at the end of the season, he could not have started as team principal of the AlphaTauri since the first tender of 2024.
The decisive meeting
Precisely for these reasons, Monte-Carlo was a fundamental stage. She has not escaped anyone the presence of the president of Ferrari Elkann who, as reported by Giuliano Duchess, was present in the Principality not only to support his stable, but also to a meeting that took place with his team principal, Vasseur, and Christian Horner. At the end of the discussion, it seems that an agreement has been reached: Mekies will simply serve six months of gardening (and not 12) and it cannot be ruled out that he may officially greet the redhead as early as the next Grand Prix in Barcelona. The same gardening duration also for the two Ferrari purchases, now ready to say goodbye to Red Bull as well.
Waiting for the results…
The moves, in the political arena, they ended in a victory for both sides. In the end, as always, it will stand at the padel talk and see who really will have gained.
