AlphaTauri made an announcement in April stating that Mekies would take over as the team boss, replacing Franz Tost, who has decided to step down after this season.
It also appointed former FIA man Peter Bayer to become the team’s first bespoke CEO, overseeing a wide range of organisational changes.
Following the announcement of the switch, Mekies remained in his position as sporting director. Meanwhile, Ferrari and Red Bull negotiated the details and schedule of his departure from Maranello and his commencement at Faenza.
Ferrari has now officially announced that Mekies is leaving his role at the end of this week.
On Thursday, Ferrari announced that Laurent Mekies’ tenure at Scuderia Ferrari will conclude this week.
The Racing Director will not be present in Belgium and will depart from the Prancing Horse after four and a half seasons. Throughout this period, the team achieved seven victories.
The whole team expresses their gratitude to him for his significant contribution throughout that period.
Laurent Mekies, Racing Director, Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz / Motorsport Images
Motorsport.com understands that following talks between Ferrari and Red Bull team principals Fred Vasseur and Christian Horner, Mekies will now be placed on gardening leave until the end of the year, starting at AlphaTauri on 1 January 2024.
Ferrari clarified that Diego Ioverno, a highly regarded Ferrari veteran with 23 years of experience, will assume the position of sporting director previously held by Mekies.
Ferrari stated that starting from the Belgian Grand Prix, Diego Ioverno will assume the position of Sporting Director and assist Laurent in fulfilling his responsibilities on the pitwall.
“I cannot reword.”
Matteo Togninalli, who is the Head of Track Engineering, and Ravin Jain, the Race Strategist, will both report directly to Fred Vasseur, the team principal, along with their colleagues on the pitwall.
Leave a Reply