Red Bull: Why did he fire his main team Christian Horner?
Red Bull fired Christian Horner, his main team, the only one he has had in 20 years of history in Formula 1. These are the reasons behind the team’s decision.
Red Bull decided to say goodbye and immediately to Christian Hornerhis main team, the only one he has had in 20 years of history in the Formula 1. He did it with a stroke and without giving major explanations, but there are many reasons that oralled this.
The death of Dietrich Mateschitz
On October 22, 2022, when the Austin Grand Prix of the F1The Rolling Stones songs began to sound at the Paddock. It was a tribute, because the death of one of the owners of the brand, Dietrich Mateschitz.
There they met at the hymns ceremony, all of jeans as another tax, Horner, Adrian Newey, Helmut Marko, Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen. Maybe it would be the last time they would be seen in total harmony.
Without Mateschitz an internal struggle began. Those of Horner against Marko’s. On the side of Helmut, the fortress was to have Jos Verstappen, Max’s father. In the corner of Horner, the other shareholder of Red Bull, CHARLO YOOVIDYHA. The loot, take control of the F1 equipment.
New actors entered the dispute: Mateschitz’s son, Mark and director Oliver Mintzlaff, who assumed as CEO. These began to analyze the steps of the groups in dispute.
Horner ‘inappropriate behavior’ scandal
The 2024 season of the F1 had not started, when in the middle of Bahrein, the news exploded that a Red Bull employee had accused Horner of having harassed her.
The inappropriate behavior of the team leader was initially denied, but then a series of conversations of the employee with Horner, a married man who seemed to try sexual advances with her, was ventilated, email and text messages.
To finish clarifying the seriousness of the problem, it was learned that the employee had been a sentimental couple of Jos Verstappenat the time of the problem.
A soap opera that was investigated internally and that, apparently was resolved in favor of Horner, who maintained his job, but the toxic atmosphere in Milton Keynes increased exponentially.
Adrian Newey leaves the team for not agreeing with its handling
Only a few months later, in May 2024, before the Miami Grand Prix, the star designer, not only of Red Bull, but of Formula 1, Adrian Neweyannounced his resignation to the team with which he had been almost 18 years old.
Newey, a key piece in the success of Red Bull, argued personal reasons, but then mentioned that he could not stay in the team, after things had happened with which he definitely did not agree and situations with which he could not be calm in his conscience.
Newey had reached Red Bull attracted by his cordial atmosphere and spirit of companionship and that had vanished.
At the exit of Newey, other very important ones joined, such as the Aerodynamicist Rob Marshall, who went to McLaren and transformed the concept of his car until he took him to dominate the F1.
Also, at the end of 2024, the Deportivo live, Jonathan Whaetley announced his departure to join Sauber as main team, a team that has helped add points, prior to his conversion to Audi.
Pilot and exit management by Czech Pérez
Red Bull has been a single pilot team for a long time. The Mexican Sergio Pérez He did the work of second steering wheel for four seasons, but in the last one, 2024 the results did not arrive. The Mexican claimed that the car was very complicated to handle and the team did not give answers.
A concept of concept with a car that only sought to satisfy Verstappen’s management style, coupled with erroneous development, which wanted to solve with a crisis that almost cost them the title of Max pilots.
Horner’s solution was to fire Czech, paying the two years of contract that he had signed for 2025 and 2026. He got the approval of Mintzlaff and Yovidhya, but it was his decision.
According to Horner, with Liam Lawson Everything would change, but after two races he had to replace it, while, with Yuki Tsunodawho in 10 races in the team has not been able to be even close to Max and has only added seven points.
A disaster The management of pilots with an economic loss in salaries, which only had the money that Honda contributed to support Tsunoda.
Verstappen’s threat to go to Mercedes
The drop that spilled the glass for Horner was that in 2025 the rumor that Verstappen would seek to leave Red Bull and that already had concrete offers of Mercedes and Aston Martin.
The team, now far behind McLaren, Ferrari And even from Mercedes, he didn’t give Verstappen a car to fight the championship. There was a clause that said that the Dutch could leave the team at the end of 2026, if after the summer break it was under the third place of pilots.
Currently, Verstappen is third, behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norriswith George Russell very close.
Toto WolffChief of Mercedes, he said, without tapujos, that his team sought to make the services of Verstappen, even Russell, who has not signed extension with the silver arrows, commented that this had not happened because there were talks with the four times champion of the F1.
Horner denied it, Verstappen shut up, but they were Jos Verstappen and his agent Raymond Vermeulen who pressed the Red Bull directive and negotiated with Mercedes.
Everything seems to indicate that for Red Bull was or Horner or Verstappen and they left to keep the pilot, but it could also be that Max has decided to leave and that it has led to Christian’s dismissal, since running without his star would already be the last nail.
