During a recent interview, Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur confirmed that the Budapest weekend was the last Grand Prix in red for Laurent Mekies on the Maranello pit wall, and he will not be present in Belgium for the weekend at the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit. Diego Ioverno will take over the duties of the now former French racing director, handling regulations and managing relationships with the FIA.
Laurent Mekies will not be in Belgium: How does the Ferrari pit wall change at Spa now?
“Me and Laurent Mekies attended the same schools in France,” Frederic Vasseur said in the interview for Italian daily newspaper Corriere dello Sport. “We have known each other for twenty-five years, and he helped me a lot when I arrived at Ferrari. Our relationship has always been excellent, and I want it to continue like this when we become competitors.” – the Ferrari boss pointed out.
“It’s tough to part ways with Laurent, but he is rightfully ambitious. He will be one of the ten team principals in Formula 1. I couldn’t deny him this opportunity.” – Fred Vasseur admitted.
Unless there are surprising upheavals, the recently passed weekend in Hungary should have been the last on the pit wall for the Frenchman, with Ferrari’s team principal stating that he received great support from Laurent Mekies during his early days leading the Maranello team last January.
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“We will distribute his responsibilities internally among three or four people,” Fred Vasseur continues on how the team will reorganize following Laurent Mekies’ departure. ” Diego Ioverno, who recently returned to the pit wall and is therefore visible, will take care of regulations and relationships with the FIA.”
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“But we will need to decide how many people to dedicate to aerodynamics, which direction to take for the new 2026 regulations, how many resources to shift from 2024 to 2026. These are all delicate and strategic matters.” – Fred Vasseur explained.
Until the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season, Laurent Mekies will complete the required gardening period, as customary in Formula 1, and then replace Franz Tost as team principal at AlphaTauri next season.

Source: f1ingenerale
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