Laurent
Mekies

Born in Tours, France on 28 April 1977, Laurent Mekies path to Formula 1 was defined at an early age by a trip with his father to the 1988 French Grand Prix at Le Castellet. Captivated by racing and the technology on show, the young Frenchman determined to trade the grandstands for the garage and a career in motorsport.

After studying for a Masters’ degree mechanical engineering at the highly regarded ESTACA School in Paris, during which he spent his final year at Loughborough University in the UK, Laurent secured a trackside internship in 2000 with the all-conquering Signature team in French Formula 3. The position led to a switch to Asiatech, the company that supplied the Arrows team with its engines, where, as an engine engineer, Laurent got his first taste of F1 in 2001.