F1 News: VCARB Team Principal Advocates for Milton Keynes Transition

VCARB team principal Laurent Mekies has opened up on moving the team closer to Red Bull.

The Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) Formula 1 team has embarked on a new chapter with Laurent Mekies at the helm, marking a significant shift with the announcement of moving its operations to a bespoke facility in Milton Keynes. This strategic relocation is part of an extensive plan to streamline the team's efforts and deepen its partnership with Red Bull.

Key Takeaways:

• VCARB is set to enhance its operational efficiency by relocating from its Bicester site to a newly established headquarters in Milton Keynes.
• The move is a key component of the team's comprehensive transformation under the leadership of Mekies, who has taken over from Franz Tost.
• Strengthening ties with Red Bull and centralising operations underscore the team's ambition to overcome past challenges and innovate for the future.

Red Bull Press Image

The move to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Milton Keynes is poised to unify the team's previously dispersed functions, enhancing collaboration and operational coherence.

The decision to centralise operations in Milton Keynes addresses the historical perception within Formula 1 circles that maintaining dual headquarters is less than ideal. Mekies, in his conversation with RacingNews365, shed light on this strategic pivot, saying:

"Historically in Formula 1, it's always been seen as a weakness to have two headquarters. What we want to achieve is that what was historically a weakness, we want to turn it into a strength, so we are very happy to have two headquarters with one in Bicester and we are building a new one in Milton Keynes to transfer the people from Bicester to a brand-new HQ, hopefully by the end of the year.

"Obviously we have the historical headquarters of Faenza, and we are a technology company, nowadays, we are a competitive technology company and times have changed.

"We think there is a way to get people to work on both sides of the Channel, and that we can turn that into a strength. We can go on the job market and get the best people in the UK and in Europe and making our company a location-free company where communication flows and where we build the right environment with enough technology so we overtake the historical weaknesses."

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