RACE REPORT
Word on the beat
Mercedes restructure and scotched Red Bull rumours
● The retirement at the end of this season of AlphaTauri principal Franz Tost led the team to announce its future management line-up. Peter Bayer will become the new CEO later in the year and Laurent Mekies the new principal next year. Bayer left the FIA in 2022 after disagreement with president Mohammed ben Sulayem. Mekies (who also served at the FIA in the past) has been recruited from Ferrari where he is sporting director. For Mekies, 46, it’s a return to the team where he last served as chief engineer in 2014.