Isack Hadjar jokes Laurent Mekies promotion is “useful” as Red Bull seat talk heats up

Isack Hadjar has downplayed the impact of Christian Horner’s exit but jokingly admitted Laurent Mekies’ promotion at Red Bull could be “useful” for his future

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has joked that Laurent Mekies replacing Christian Horner could be "useful" as he eyes a seat in Red Bull. This comes after the shock announcement that Horner would be leaving his role as CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing after a string of disappointing performances. Alan Permane has taken the lead at the sister team.

Questioned on how these changes would affect his team, Hadjar noted that due to his close work with Permane so far this season, his processes would remain largely unchanged.

“No [it won't change], because Alan was just below Laurent [in the hierarchy] for the last two years. I know it won’t change the team dynamic. I have to say, honestly, I think I worked more with Alan from a technical standpoint than with Laurent. Because he’s such a good engineer.”

He was further questioned on how substantial Horner's exit is for the outfit.

"Christian Horner leaving is major, but to be fair, it doesn’t really change much for me at the moment. Alan is someone I know really well. He was always quiet, you don’t see him often, but he’s a big part of the team so far.

Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing CEO

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

"I think he’s the one, next to my race engineer, I’ve worked with the most. He’s the guy who takes the final decision on car setup. He’s been very close to Laurent.

"Laurent has built something very solid over the last two years and now he’s just taking it. It doesn’t change anything to the team and to my approach.”

Like any driver in the Red Bull sister team, Hadjar's objective remains to be an eventual promotion. There have already been hints of a potential move after his successful start to the 2025 season, and his existing relationship with Mekies will only work in his favour.

"We were really close together and he's still around," he said.

“If I had to work with him, it would be easier, that’s for sure. We sound more familiar," he joked. "So yeah, I would say so.”

He added, laughing: “Can’t hide it’s useful, that’s for sure. Twelve more races, so I need to keep pushing.

"You’re as good as your last race, all the time.”

Commenting on his relationship with Horner, Hadjar maintains that it was always consultant Helmut Marko that was his point of contact.

"I was always way closer to Helmut, it was always very brief with Christian. If I had to jump in his car, obviously I would spend time with him, but it was always about Helmut when I was progressing through the ranks," he said before confirming he hadn't discussed the management changes with the Austrian.