Laurent Mekies has a long list of jobs waiting for him when he takes the reins at Red Bull after the departure of long-serving CEO Christian Horner

Frenchman Laurent Mekies got down to work as Red Bull team principal on Thursday, a day after replacing Christian Horner, and recognised big challenges ahead for the once-dominant former champions.

Red Bull has lost several key figures across the past 18 months, most notably design legend Adrian Newey, Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, and Chief Designer Rob Marshall. The sacking of Horner means that a fourth pillar of long-term success is gone.