Christian Horner has been at the forefront of Red Bull Racing’s decision making before they even made their debut as a Formula 1 team in 2005.
Red Bull debuted with David Coulthard and Christian Klien 20 years ago, and Christian Horner was on the pit wall watching both of his drivers score points in Melbourne that day.
Ever since that moment, Horner has been ever-present, watching his team win six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ championships in the process.
Horner was the main decision maker in recent years after the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, with Helmut Marko also playing a role as chief advisor to the team.
Both the Austrian and Thai sides of the Red Bull ownership have been taking a closer look at Horner’s decision recently as the team’s performance started to slip.
Ultimately, Horner lost the backing of Red Bull’s Thai owners, which led to his exit, but internally, there were already members of staff questioning his decisions.
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Journalist and commentator Nelson Valkenburg was asked on The Race F1 Podcast whether recruitment and morale were a factor in Horner’s Red Bull exit and said: “I don’t think it’s a minor factor.
“I think there’s been a brain drain at Red Bull, and there’s a problem getting the right people there, but the people that are there now have seen the team fall away. I think they’re fourth in the constructors right now.
Position Constructors’ Standings PointsPts 1 460 2 222 3 210 4 172 5 59 6 41 7 36 8 36 9 29 10 19
“You can’t rely on bonuses every year, but if you’re so successful as that team has been over the past few years, it’s something you get accustomed to.
“There were some rumours last year that the middle management in that team was getting frustrated with the fact that it was a one-car team, that Perez wasn’t bringing in the points, so they lost out on the constructors.
“There is a problem there.”
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Red Bull facing ‘super unhappy’ staff issue among Christian Horner’s loyal workers
Valkenburg then went on to talk about members of Red Bull staff who were able to overlook Sergio Perez and his final contract extension before being dropped six months later.
Perez signed a new contract at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, days after a huge crash at Monaco, and failed to record a single podium finish after that moment.
Valkenburg believes Horner’s sacking has created another problem for Laurent Mekies to solve, as the 51-year-old still had plenty of loyal followers.
Grand Prix entered406Wins124Podiums287Pole positions107Points8009Drivers’ championships8 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)Constructors’ championships6 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023)Christian Horner’s F1 record at Red Bull
He said: “First of all, they want to be better, so they need better people. Horner wasn’t able to get them, but the people who stayed were very loyal to Horner, so they’re very unhappy as well.
“What we’ve heard over the last few days, we’ve had some calls with some people there, is that the people that were still there, the core team that were so loyal to Horner, are super unhappy.
“It’s a bit damned if you do, damned if you don’t, but that team is not going to really warm up to Mekies super quickly.
“He’ll win them over, but there are a lot of hurt people there. It just doesn’t look good either way, whether it improves the opportunity to get the right people in, that’s the second matter, but for the immediate future, that’s an unhappy team.”
Christian Horner could never solve Red Bull driver conundrum alongside Max Verstappen
Horner employed 14 different Red Bull drivers during his time as team principal, with varying levels of success.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, and Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were his most stable pairings, but aside from Daniel Ricciardo’s time in the team and Coulthard’s early success, every other driver has struggled.
YEARRED BULLRACING BULLS2019Verstappen & Gasly/AlbonAlbon/Gasly & Kvyat2020Verstappen & AlbonGasly & Kvyat2021Verstappen & PerezGasly & Tsunoda2022Verstappen & PerezGasly & Tsunoda2023Verstappen & PerezTsunoda & De Vries/Ricciardo/Lawson2024Verstappen & PerezTsunoda & Ricciardo/Lawson2025Verstappen & Lawson/TsunodaTsunoda/Lawson & HadjarRed Bull and Racing Bulls F1 driver line-ups since 2019
Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were both promoted prematurely, with Perez recalling a dig Horner made about Red Bull being a one-car team before he signed.
After the Mexican driver’s exit at the end of 2024, Horner was convinced Liam Lawson was the right man to be Verstappen’s teammate.
Two races later, Yuki Tsunoda replaced Lawson, and his seven points in 10 races only highlight the problem Red Bull have created for themselves in recent years.