Red Bull’s post-Horner era begins with sprint qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix

Laurent Mekies didn’t get long to settle in as Red Bull team principal on his first Formula 1 race weekend leading his new team. (AP)

• Laurent Mekies didn’t get long to settle in as Red Bull team principal on his first Formula 1 race weekend leading his new team

BRUSSELS: Laurent Mekies didn’t get long to settle in as Red Bull team principal on his first Formula 1 race weekend leading his new team.
There was just one practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday before Red Bull and Mekies get straight into competitive action with qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race.
The hectic schedule is an extra challenge as Mekies takes over from Christian Horner, who had led the team since it entered F1 20 years ago until he was abruptly fired just over two weeks ago.
Max Verstappen had some aerodynamic updates and was competitive for Red Bull in the sole practice session, going second fastest at .404 of a second behind standings leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren. The second McLaren of Lando Norris was third fastest, .1 further back.
Red Bull uncertainty
Red Bull’s parent company still hasn’t explained exactly what led to Horner’s exit, and Verstappen’s future remains uncertain. The Dutch driver said Thursday that Horner was like a “second family” but that his removal wouldn’t affect his plans.
Verstappen said he still hoped to remain with Red Bull for the rest of his career but noted that “life is unpredictable.”
In an extra twist, Mercedes driver George Russell indicated to broadcaster Sky Sports on Thursday that he believed Verstappen and Mercedes remained in talks.
Besides the small question of Verstappen’s future, Mekies will need to draw on his extensive experience in F1 to cope with a daunting to-do list.
He needs to deal with a decline in the team’s results over the last year, prepare for big rule changes for 2026, and work out why Yuki Tsunoda — 18th in Friday practice — is the latest in a series of Verstappen’s teammates to struggle with the car.
Piastri’s frustration
All the focus has been on Red Bull, but there’s still a thrilling — and controversial — title race at McLaren.
Norris’ emotional win in the rain at the British Grand Prix cut Piastri’s standings lead to just eight points, while Piastri fumed at what he saw as an unfair penalty.
Belgium is the first test of the Australian’s vow to harness the “frustration” he felt in Britain to win more races. And just like at Silverstone, rain could play a big part this weekend. It could affect both Saturday’s sprint and the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Crunch time for Hamilton
With half of the season gone and no Grand Prix podium finish yet, Lewis Hamilton has declared it’s “crunch time” for him at Ferrari.
Hamilton, whose biggest success this season was a sprint race win in China in March, was seventh in Friday practice.
The seven-time champion revealed Thursday he’s been setting up a series of meetings not just with top team personnel, but with Ferrari’s corporate leadership, to seek “structural adjustments” and make sure his voice is part of Ferrari’s development plans for 2026.