Laurent Mekies: We need discipline and patience

Toro Rosso was once a team where young Red Bull drivers were tested and ‘broken in’, and the best of them were given the opportunity to move to Red Bull Racing to prove themselves at a higher level.

But now the team from Faenza is called Visa RB, and its status has changed somewhat, because it is represented by Yuki Tsunoda, and this is his fourth season in Formula 1, as well as Daniel Ricciardo, who can be considered a veteran in all respects . Since the beginning of the year, it has been led by Laurent Mekies, who moved from Ferrari and took the place of the retired Franz Tost, and the position of executive director has been entrusted to the experienced manager Peter Bayer, who previously held a very important position. higher position at the FIA.

“For a Formula 1 fan or for someone who loves cars, it is difficult to say goodbye to Ferrari, but in reality I had a completely unique opportunity,” Mekis told PlanenF1. – I joined the project, which we consider as a task to create a new team.

This was a unique opportunity and that is why I decided to take this step. I am honored to join this team and feel exactly the same every day. This team has many talented people working in the financial and business fields, and we are all lucky, because now that the team has achieved a new start, it faces the ambitious task of becoming more competitive.

We have been given all necessary resources to make such an effort. In terms of the size of Visa RB, compared to the top teams, we are still much smaller and employ around 600 people. I agree that budget constraints make our job a little easier, but we still order a lot of machine parts externally.

So we are lagging behind the top teams in terms of available resources, in terms of infrastructure, in terms of production capabilities, etc. We are now analyzing this lag to understand what we are missing for further development. But overall, we are inferior on all levels.

However, this is what makes the adventure so interesting, because we can form a new look for the team and challenge the leaders. All in all, this is a difficult task, and to solve it we must build a strong foundation and then think of something else to defeat those who are bigger and stronger than us.

We have already entered into this battle and we still have many immediate tasks ahead of us, but there are also plans that can only be implemented in the medium term. We have already invited many experienced, high-level specialists, so we are trying to solve all the problems at the same time, and then we will see what comes of it.

But this requires discipline and patience. If we are not aware of what level we are at now, and how far we are from the level we want to reach, then if we are not ready to move up some positions now, in the near future give – and this is necessary to lay the foundations – then we simply will not be able to achieve our goals.”

McLaren is leading by example, as the team has made impressive progress in just a few seasons and is already challenging for wins, but Visa RB is no ordinary Formula 1 team. By definition it should be in the shadow of Red It is unlikely that Bull Racing and the owners of the Austrian company Red Bull will do that. Are they interested in challenging the ‘senior’ team?

However, Laurent Mekies assures that the owners of both teams are not yet introducing such restrictions: “I would be happy if such restrictions were introduced for us, because it would mean that we have largely overcome the speed difference.

I think we should actually aim for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship, maybe even fifth if we get the chance to beat one of the factory teams. But that’s what I see as the long-term goal.”

After eight stages of the season, Visa RB is already in 6th place in the team rankings, so the task can be considered partially completed, but there is no doubt that Laurent Mekies and his team will not rest on this.