Last Updated on July 11 2025, 10:58 am

As the dust settles on the revolution under way in Milton Keynes, a huge array of reasoning is being assembled as to why Christian Horner was sacked. The reason his departure is so shocking is that the timing is less than ideal as the biggest change in F1 regulations is coming just months away.

Horner was the hero beat at Red Bull Racing and cutting off the head of the tight knit organisation at this time may well lead to disastrous results. The staff who spoke to Sky F1 just hours after they heard their leader tell them he had been sacked by men in grey suits in Austria were to a person, “emotional” and “angry.”

TJ13 has learned around some 100 Red Bull employee CV’s have already landed in Cadillac’s inbox as the brain drain for real is surely about to start in proper. Much has been made of a number of senior staff leaving Red Bull in recent years, with the high profile Adrian Newey cited as the prime example as he joined Aston Martin this season.

 

 

 

Senior staff left for big promotions

Yet in reality there has been a media hype over the Red Bull departures when considering the individuals on a case by case basis. Most recently Jonathan Wheatley left to join Kick Sauber – soon to become Audi – because he was offered the highest profile job in F1, that of becoming a team principal.

Newey quit his role as the team’s technical director in 2018 and from then on worked part time, coming and going as he pleased. He was in effect a consultant to the Red Bull design team, who at times merely had to get on with the job and go it alone whiles Newey was relaxing at his second hime in South Africa.

Its clear that something changed in Newey’s ambitions, maybe wishing to come back into a more structured role at Red Bull with greater responsibility for the design of the car. He admitted in 2023 his part in designing the all conquering RB19 had been the front end of the Red Bull challenger, whilst the rest was taken care of by Pierre gassy and the rest of the team.

Yet with Newey often losing interest in the F1 project, heading off to design hyper cars and yachts when he so pleased, Horner had to back fill his expertise and the option of a ‘flakey’ Adrian returning to head up the design function was not a risk he was prepared to take. At some point Newey would retire or pass away, and the team principal was looking to secure the future of the team without being dependent on such an unpredictable character.

Russell contract talks stall over key demand

 

 

Red Bull way to develop talent from within

Rob Marshall, Red Bull’s chief engineering officer also left for McLaren in 2023, with the promise he would become the second most powerful individual in the team as technical director. Again this was not a role Red Bull could offer without sacking Pierre Wache.

Recently it was announced that head of strategy, Will Courtney would also be leaving for McLaren again offered a promotion to Sporting director, a role filled at Red Bull by the expert Jonathan Wheatley at the time. Whilst Horner is making him fulfil his contract until his move in 2026, Hannah Schmitz has been handed his job as  principal strategy engineer and has arguably stepped up Red Bull’s performance in this area to levels Courtney rarely achieved.

This is the sum total of the much vaunted Red Bull brain drain which Horner has been accused of presiding over. Yet each of these senior Red Bull personnel left the team for promotions they were unable to attain in Milton Keynes at the time.

Horner has also been accused of failing to recruit new big hitters to the team, but that has not been the Red Bull way since the early days when a replacement crew for those there in the Jaguar years was necessary. Horner’s philosophy is to grow the team’s own talent and reward them with promotion, rather fixing glass ceilings by bringing in new senior staff which blocks the progression of others.

Bottas confirms talks with Alpine to replace Colapinto

 

 

 

Red Bull 2025 performance explained

The next band waggon folk have jumped on in an attempt to explain the sacking of Horner is the current team’s performance, which they claim is woeful. Yet Red Bull have won races this year, more than Mercedes and Ferrari have yet to get off the mark. Max Verstappen has more pole positions than Lando Norris and the same as championship leader Oscar Piastri with four.

The ebb and flow of Formula One happens. No team is forever on top of the pile and with the RB21 Red Bull decided to attempt to eek out the final year of these regulations without building a whole new car as did Ferrari. The focus of the team has been 2026 for quite some time as the bulk of the design resources have concentrated on that project for a number of months now.

So the current level of performance is understandable in such transitional times and if this was truly the reasoning for the Austrians to move now, they clearly know little about the sport of F1. Mercedes after eight years of dominance were nowhere in 2022 with a single win in Sao Paulo and the following year the situation deteriorated as neither driver claimed the top step of the podium.

There was a change in the technical leadership of the team, following Hamilton’s demands that ‘heads must roll’ with James Allison replacing the then technical director Mike Elliot. As TJ13 penned yesterday, the real reason for Horner’s sacking is because he opposed the 50% sale in the business to Porsche which CEO Oliver Mintzlaff had given his word upon.

Red Bull staff “gutted” as Milton Keynes protests walkout discussed

 

 

 

Milton Keynes “for sale”

With Horner now gone and the Thai majority shareholder having transferred his vital 2% to an unknown fund in Geneva, Mintzlaff and the heir of Didi Mateschitz now have the control the want of the entire organisation. There may be no ‘for sale’ signs top around Milton Keynes just yet, but Mintzlaff will deliver some ‘corporate investment’ (partial sale) into the Red Bull Racing organisation and of course receive his entitled fee for rain around $1.5bn.

The nimble nature and entrepreneurial style of the Red Bull team will quickly disappear as they morph into the British version of Ferrari, who for years have battled with internal disputes inside a corporate structure which encourages the blame game. 

History is being written about Horn’s departure, but unfortunately most of those who are respected for their insight and analysis, have merely resorted to nonsense explanations without considering the full extent of the internal struggles within the Red Bull energy drinks empire.

 

 

 

Red Bull’s Thai owner recently transferred shares – giving the Austrians control

Today feels like the day after the Lord Mayor’s show – to coin a phrase. After the bombshell news dropped that Formula One’s longes standing team principals was sacked by Red Bull parent company directors.  Christian Horner was under the cosh last year when confidential documents emerged from an independent enquiry which suggested he had been ‘sexting’ a female employee.

Horner was cleared twice of the allegations by an independent Kings Council, the highest level of court advocate ranking in the UK legal system. With Jos Verstappen alleged to have had a relationship with the same female employee, the water at Red Bull racing turned quickly sour.

Jos called for Horner to leave his role as team principal, claiming otherwise “the team would be torn apart.” Yet despite attempts by  the Austrian directors of the parent company to dismiss Horner, he was saved by the Thai majority shareholder, who is the son of the Thai businessman who co-founded the energy drinks empire along with Didi Mateschitz…. READ MORE