Ferrari racing director Laurent Mekies to become the latest to jump ship; set to join AlphaTauri – Reports

2023 has been rather chaotic for Ferrari, both on and off-track. There’s of course, the two Charles Leclerc retirements, and the generally disappointing race pace. They didn’t even score any points in Australia after Carlos Sainz was penalized for a collision. Off-track, there are rumors of Leclerc being in discussions with Mercedes, and Ferrari looking to get rid of Sainz. But on the team personnel side, too, it’s a bit of a kerfuffle.

David Sanchez, formerly the ‘Chief Engineer, Vehicle Concept’, left recently, and will join forces with McLaren in 2024. Jonathan Giacobazzi and Gino Rosato have apparently also left the Formula 1 team. A report from Corriere della Sera said that Laurent Mekies, the racing director, also wants to leave the team. He apparently wanted to join Formula One Management, but the move was ‘vetoed’ by Frederic Vasseur. Enrico Cardile’s (Head of Ferrari’s chassis area) future was also uncertain.

A separate report, from formu1a.uno, stated that Mekies found Ferrari CEO, Benedetto Vigna’s approach to his work “cumbersome”, and it was a key reason in his desire to leave. Well, whatever the reasons be, this exit seems to have materialized. According to RacingNews365.com’s sources, the Frenchman is well on his way to AlphaTauri – another Italian Formula 1 team. The team bases of both teams are located some 100 kilometers apart.

But why? According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, it may be because the Ferrari management chose Vasseur as team principal over him. The goal of this move to AlphaTauri, then, would be to finally become team principal in the future.

Read More: Ferrari F1 racing director Laurent Mekies also seeking an exit amid other major figures’ departures – Report

Laurent Mekies will work alongside Franz Tost at AlphaTauri

Laurent Mekies has previously worked at AlphaTauri. He started in Formula 1 with Arrows, then moved to Minardi. In 2005, the team became Toro Rosso, and Mekies became the chief engineer. In 2014, he left to work at the FIA, first as a safety director; then as a deputy race director. In 2018, he moved to Ferrari, where he has served in various capacities, but his first role was that of a sporting director.

According to the publication, he will be working alongside AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost, and is ‘expected’ to be part of a restructuring of the team. The past year or so hasn’t been particularly kind to the Red Bull-owned outfit. In 2022, they were second to last, while their sister team, Red Bull, dominated the season. There were even rumors that Red Bull were planning to sell, or at least partially relocate the team. This was because its current model of operation was considered inefficient.

While a sale was ruled out, there is definitely pressure on AlphaTauri to step up their performances. Helmut Marko even publically stated that the team’s performances, or finances, don’t meet Red Bull’s standards. The same report from RacingNews365.com also states that several offers were made for AlphaTauri, including one for at least $800 million (to purchase the team), but it was rejected.

In case you missed it:

• Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna’s “cumbersome” approach a key factor in racing director Laurent Mekies’ desire to leave – Report
• Ferrari poaches two Red Bull engineers amidst major restructuring at Maranello

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