Helmut Marko has spoken about the reason why Red Bull fired Christian Horner. Image: XPB Images
Speaking to Sky Deutschland in Belgium, the Red Bull advisor confirmed the decision came from Red Bull GmbH boss Oliver Mintzlaff and was delivered to Horner in London two days after the British Grand Prix.
“We informed Christian Horner of this on Tuesday in London after the Silverstone race, at the same time officially thanking him for these 20 years and for these eight World Championship titles,” Marko said.
“This was the result of various factors, but above all, the performance wasn’t quite as good as it could have been.”
Horner’s sacking followed 18 months of turmoil, marked by internal tensions and a decline in on-track performance. Despite being cleared in an internal investigation into alleged misconduct earlier this year, Horner oversaw a period of unrest that saw Adrian Newey and other key figures leave the team.
Red Bull lost the 2024 Constructors’ Championship to McLaren and now faces the prospect of losing the Drivers’ crown for the first time since 2020, with Max Verstappen currently sitting third in the standings.
Marko added that new CEO Laurent Mekies would now be tasked with refocusing the team.
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“Fortunately, we were able to bring Laurent Mekies into the family. His responsibilities will be significantly reduced, with the main focus being on racing.”
Speaking earlier in the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen said the change was a management decision, not one driven by the drivers.
“At the end of the day, management and, of course, the shareholders, decided that they wanted a change and, at the end of the day they run the team and I’m the driver, so whatever they decide, it’s fully in their right to do what they want,” he said. “That’s basically how it happened.
While acknowledging Horner’s legacy, Verstappen said the past 18 months haven’t met expectations and it’s time to look forward.
“At the same time now, sitting here, you look back at those 20 years of Red Bull, I think we’ve had a lot of great years, great results,” he said.
“Now, of course, there are also years where it’s not going that well and I think the last one-and-a-half years have not gone how we would have liked, and management decided they wanted to see a shift in a different direction, probably, and then everyone else, of course, has to agree to that and look forward.
“Looking back doesn’t make sense. It’s not going to make you faster.”