Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz firmly believes that the Maranello team will smoothly navigate through the transitional period after Racing Director Laurent Mekies’ departure, with the Hungarian Grand Prix being the final race for the Frenchman at the Ferrari pit wall.
With Laurent Mekies leaving the Scuderia to take over as AlphaTauri Team Principal starting from next season, the Italian side confirmed the appointment of Diego Ioverno as his successor in the modified role of Sporting Director, just before the Spa-Francorchamps weekend.
In an interview for the media on Friday ahead of the practice sessions, Carlos Sainz explained: “Laurent was a very important figure in Ferrari over the last few years. He was a huge contributor to the team. I had a really good relationship with him, he was really proactive and very good to the team. We are very appreciative and that is probably why he has gone to a Team Principal role in another team because he was doing a good job for us. But the transition has been done already. He has been very helpful in helping Diego do the old job he was doing, so I am not concerned at all by the transition period because it has already been smooth enough.” – the Ferrari man pointed out.
Laurent Mekies is set to embark on his maiden journey as Team Principal with AlphaTauri, as the Faenza-based team undergoes a management reshuffle that includes the appointment of former FIA Secretary General for Sport, Peter Bayer.
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When questioned about the qualities that make the French manager an excellent fit for a team-leading position, Carlos Sainz responded:
“There are very different kinds of Team Principals out there nowadays, there is no clear characteristic for everyone. You have the likes of Toto [Wolff] or Christian [Christian] and Fred [Vasseur] or Mattia [Binotto] in the past with a very technical approach. I am not the one to comment on what makes a good Team Principal but if you analyse the ones that have been there for the longest, you will find the traits.” – Carlos Sainz concluded.
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