F1 Daily: Red Bull Locks In Mekies, Kansas City's Circuit Plans & Horner's Reflections

Max Verstappen's back-to-back victories in Malaysia and Singapore also did tons of good for the rest of the team. Incredibly, Red Bull is quickly chasing McLaren for third in the Constructors' Championship, trimming the deficit to only seven points with six races remaining (if Qatar and Abu Dhabi push through). 

It's not just, though. Apparently, Verstappen's exploits are also positively affecting the careers of those around him. 

Laurent Mekies will stay at Red Bull through 2031. Red Bull announced a contract extension for their team principal, keeping him in charge through the end of the 2031 season. From managing the Racing Bulls, Mekies stepped up to the main Red Bull team in July 2025. He replaced former long-tenured Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

After a shaky start to the 2026 season, Red Bull has developed their car in the right direction. They've won the last two races, and most importantly, Max Verstappen seems happy. While there are many moving parts in a Formula 1 team, their success could still be attributed to Mekies's leadership.

Speaking of Christian Horner, the former Red Bull chief opened up about his difficulties before and after departing the team in 2025. A person working within the team accused Horner of inappropriate behavior, prompting investigations that started before the 2024 season. An internal investigation cleared Horner's name, but he ultimately had to leave the team the next year.

The British motorsport icon said that the events were "very tough" for him, especially with Red Bull preparing for their championship defense. Horner recently published a memoir entitled "Drive", where he dived more into his experiences during and after his championship-laden F1 career.

Kansas City is planning to put up a racetrack as part of a much bigger redevelopment of the Truman Sports Complex. Right now, the complex houses two major sports venues, including Arrowhead Stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) and Kauffman Stadium for the Kansas City Royals (MLB).

However, the circuit development plans do not constitute an official bid for hosting a F1 Grand Prix. Not yet, anyway. For now, F1 will still race in three United States venues, namely in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas.

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto recently issued a direct video message urging his supporters to stop attacking his fellow drivers, teammate Pierre Gasly, and team personnel. He said that these attacks actually don't help his career.

Colapinto's fans recently aimed their tirade at McLaren driver Lando Norris. The reigning World Champion had not-so-nice things to say about the Alpine driver after a domino effect from Colapinto's uncalculated divebomb ended Norris's race in Baku. Norris has since apologized to the Argentine driver.