Red Bull boss Oliver Mintzlaff has defended the decision to sack Christian Horner during the F1 2025 season, insisting the company \u201cknew we had to do something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And he has distanced himself from Helmut Marko\u2019s recent comments about the former Red Bull team principal following his own departure.<\/p>\n
Red Bull boss addresses Christian Horner sack decision<\/p>\n
Horner stands as the one of the most successful team bosses in F1 history having led Red Bull to six constructors\u2019 titles and eight drivers\u2019 championships \u2013 split evenly between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen \u2013 since his appointment in 2005.<\/p>\n
The 52-year-old was sacked in the aftermath of July\u2019s British Grand Prix with Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies installed as his replacement as chief executive and team principal.<\/p>\n
Horner\u2019s departure coincided with a remarkable turnaround for Red Bull and Verstappen, who had been restricted to just two wins in 2025 at the time of the change.<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Verstappen went on to win six of the final nine rounds, missing out on the title to McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris by just two points.<\/p>\n In an interview last week, Marko \u2013 whose own departure from Red Bull was announced earlier this month \u2013 argued that Verstappen would have beaten Norris to the championship<\/a> had Horner been sacked earlier.<\/p>\n Mintzlaff, the chief executive of corporate projects and new investments at parent company Red Bull GmbH, has denied that the decision to part company with Horner was risky, insisting the company \u201chad to\u201d act.<\/p>\n He told Dutch publication De Telegraaf of Horner\u2019s exit: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t call it a risk, because we were 100 per cent behind this measure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew we had to do something. I\u2019m not a so-called hire-and-fire manager, someone who fires people just like that.<\/p>\n \u201cChristian has a great track record with the team and has achieved a lot of success. Everyone here in the company, myself included, appreciates him for what he has done.<\/p>\n \u201cBut this is also part of being a professional organisation.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t keep relying on history and we felt it was time to turn the page and start a new chapter.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t an easy decision, but we didn\u2019t rush into it either.\u201d<\/p>\n What next for Christian Horner after Red Bull exit?<\/p>\n What next for Christian Horner? Ranking every F1 team in order of likelihood<\/a><\/p>\n Is Christian Horner the final piece in Adrian Newey\u2019s Aston Martin masterplan?<\/a><\/p>\n Marko\u2019s comments came in an astonishing interview<\/a> in which he claimed that \u201cthose last few years with Horner were not pleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n The 82-year-old also claimed that \u201ca lot has changed\u201d inside Red Bull over recent years, with the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022 widely regarded as a key turning point in the company\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Pressed on Marko\u2019s comments, Mintzlaff refused to criticise Horner and insisted that Red Bull felt it was \u201ctime for change\u201d after the team made a slow start to the 2025 season.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThose words about Christian are Helmut\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say anything negative about Christian. Simply because he has meant a lot to Red Bull.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there always comes a time when things aren\u2019t going well and then, as a company, you have to make a decision.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you going to give someone more time, or is it time for a new leader? We felt it was time for a change.<\/p>\n \u201cI disagree with Helmut\u2019s statements. Yes, it\u2019s logical that things change in an organisation. Perhaps Dr Marko has also changed over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s quite normal that not everything is the same as it was five years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cChristian and Helmut have worked together wonderfully for years, since the start in 2005, so we\u2019re talking about more than 20 years.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me a few examples of other large sports organisations where the leadership team has remained the same for so long.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you can view it very negatively that they are both gone now.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I would say that it is unique that they have been here together for so long and achieved so much.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you just need a change to shake things up.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n