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.

Red Bull and Max Verstappen are already dealing with the absence of ousted team principal Christian Horner at Spa-Francorchamps and now the Dutchman is missing another familiar face

The dismissal of Christian Horner also came as a big shock to Red Bull Racing's Chief Engineer, Paul Monaghan. The Briton told GPblog among others how the team now hopes to respond. The Belgian Grand Prix is the first GP in Red Bull Racing history without Christian Horner as team principal of the Austrian racing stable.

Laurent Mekies takes charge of Red Bull as its new team principal for a first F1 weekend since Christian Horner’s sacking. Max Verstappen has already held “multiple” talks with the Frenchman during “intense weeks”,

Isack Hadjar reacted on Thursday to Laurent Mekies' promotion from Racing Bulls boss to Red Bull as replacement for Christian Horner by saying it could be "useful" for his own Formula One prospects.