Laurent Mekies on Red Bull's mental health support for drivers after demotions in F1

Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal Laurent Mekies has discussed how the team works to protect its drivers and staff from the psychological impact of their roles, especially after demotions to the sister squad.

The Milton Keynes outfit has struggled for some time to find a long-term driver for its second seat alongside four-time champion Max Verstappen. Liam Lawson replaced Sergio Perez for the 2025 season but found himself demoted to Racing Bulls after just two race weekends, with Yuki Tsunoda taking his place at Red Bull ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. 

Now, Tsunoda has moved to a reserve role for the 2026 season, with Isack Hadjar taking the coveted position alongside Verstappen.

Mekies was leading Racing Bulls at the time of Lawson's demotion, so he saw the psychological impact of the move firsthand.

"Well, we are well aware that the psychological effect is huge," he explained at the Autosport Business Exchange London.

"But not just for those situations about a second car, just for any very high-level athletes. That last bit of performance is intimately linked to how you feel, how you are supported and what's in your mind.

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team, Laurent Mekies, Alpine

Photo by: Mark Thompson - Getty Images

"So we are really trying to support both our drivers with the best environment possible for them to express their talent. But it's the same spirit that you try to have for any of our employees.

"In the same way that you need to create the environment for the drivers to express themselves and go fast, you need to create the environment for your engineers, for your mechanics, for your staff, to express their potential, their talent at best. So it is the same again."

After completing his rookie Formula 1 season at Racing Bulls, Hadjar secured a full-time seat at Red Bull. While the history of the seat could be daunting, he has the benefit of joining at the turn of the regulations in the championship, which should make it more even.