Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle says Jos Verstappen has effectively been team principal of Red Bull since he called for Christian Horner to resign in early 2024.<\/p>\n
Horner was \u2018released\u2019 from his role as Red Bull team principal earlier this month after more than 20 years in charge, with Laurent Mekies installed as his successor as chief executive and team boss.<\/p>\n
Martin Brundle: Jos Verstappen the real Red Bull team principal<\/p>\n
Horner\u2019s dismissal brought to an end a tumultuous final 18 months in charge at Milton Keynes, defined by his war of words with Jos Verstappen, the father of reigning four-time World Champion Max.<\/p>\n
Verstappen famously called for Horner to resign<\/a> in the aftermath of his son\u2019s victory at the 2024 season opener in Bahrain, warning the team would \u201cexplode\u201d if the team boss remained in place.<\/p>\n Red Bull has since lost key pillars of its success like Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, who opted to join Aston Martin and Sauber respectively, after almost 20 years with the team.<\/p>\n Go deeper: Christian Horner\u2019s shock Red Bull exit<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0How Red Bull 2.0 began life without Christian Horner at the Belgian GP<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0Ranked: Is Christian Horner sack the biggest shock in F1 history?<\/a><\/p>\n The team\u2019s competitiveness has also declined over the last two seasons, with Verstappen restricted to just two victories so far in F1 2025 \u2013 two years after dominating the 2023 campaign<\/a> by winning 19 out of a possible 22 races.<\/p>\n Brundle, who is known to have a close relationship with Horner, pointed the finger at \u2018Team Verstappen\u2019 in the immediate aftermath<\/a> of the 51-year-old\u2019s dismissal, claiming the Red Bull driver\u2019s entourage played a \u201ckey role\u201d in the decision.<\/p>\n The long-serving commentator appeared to row back on his original comments<\/a> at last weekend\u2019s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, insisting the Verstappens were \u201cnot asking for this.\u201d<\/p>\n In a fresh statement, Brundle claimed that he has regarded Jos Verstappen as the one calling the shots at Red Bull since he publicly undermined Horner at Bahrain 2024.<\/p>\n Asked if Verstappen\u2019s calls for Horner to leave played a part in Red Bull\u2019s decision, Brundle told Sky F1: \u201cAbsolutely.<\/p>\n \u201cI think since Bahrain last year, I\u2019ve almost considered Jos as the team principal of Red Bull.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s become a one-driver team and I think that\u2019s something they\u2019ve got to fix as well.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there\u2019s no way the hierarchy in Austria would have done this [sacked Horner without the Verstappen camp being aware].<\/p>\n \u201cThe Verstappens would have bought into this. They wouldn\u2019t have been blindsided.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s no way that Max will now be leaving the team because of that.<\/p>\n \u201cThey would have ensured that before they made that move with Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n Brundle went on to claim that Helmut Marko, the long-serving Red Bull driver, is now the team\u2019s \u201cprimary\u201d representative on a race weekend in Horner\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n Asked what Mekies will bring to Red Bull, he said: \u201cHe\u2019ll be solid, He\u2019ll be professional. He knows the business inside out.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s the way Formula 1\u2019s going now: technical people who have played a key role in Formula 1 in the past [rising to team boss roles].<\/p>\n \u201cThey know success within the team. They know what works, what doesn\u2019t work, what it looks like from within the team.<\/p>\n \u201cIt now seems as if Helmut Marko is the primary person on site at a grand prix on any given weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Max Verstappen news<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Red Bull news<\/a><\/p>\n As revealed by PlanetF1.com over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend<\/a>, Max Verstappen is now expected to stay with Red Bull for the F1 2026 season, ending speculation over a potential move to Mercedes.<\/p>\n His decision to stay put should clear the way for George Russell to sign a new contract to remain with Mercedes.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com reported on Wednesday that Russell is closing in on a new multi-year deal<\/a>\u00a0that is set to keep him at Mercedes until at least the end of the 2027 campaign.<\/p>\n Russell\u2019s team-mate Kimi Antonelli is also expected to be retained for F1 2026, with an announcement possible ahead of this weekend\u2019s Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.<\/p>\n