"Ferrari lets Mekies leave early after all. Frenchman to succeed Tost at AlphaTauri"

Laurent Mekies is heading into his final races with Ferrari, as reported by the Italian branch of Motorsport.com on Friday morning. The current Sporting Director of the Scuderia, who is set to become Franz Tost's successor at AlphaTauri, appears to have been released early from his contract with the Italian team.

The Hungarian Grand Prix is said to be the last race during which Mekies will be active for the illustrious team from Maranello. It is the second-to-last race before the summer break and will take place on July 23rd. After that, Mekies is expected to take a few months of paid leave, following which he will take over from the departing Tost at AlphaTauri, starting from next season.

Starting from this weekend, at the Canadian Grand Prix, Mekies will already be assisted by Diego Ioverno. He is set to become one of the two replacements for Mekies, as team boss Frédéric Vasseur intends to split the role previously held by his right-hand man going forward. Ioverno would handle the sporting and organizational aspects of the team, while a second, as yet unknown top executive would primarily focus on the political aspect, including contact with the FIA.

Solution to Mekies' matter after political wrangling

The solution to the Mekies' matter comes after political wrangling between Ferrari chairman John Elkann and Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner at the end of last month. Elkann reportedly threatened to break the deal if Ferrari didn't receive personnel from Red Bull. Whether this transfer is or isn't part of the agreement between Red Bull and Ferrari remains unclear.