Jul.26 (GMM) With Jos Verstappen back in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock and speculation still swirling, Red Bull is stepping into a new chapter following Christian Horner’s shock sacking.
Red Bull has remained largely silent on the details behind the dramatic ousting of Horner, who led the team for 20 years. But key figures like F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Dr Helmut Marko are now breaking their silence, while new team boss Laurent Mekies begins his tenure under tight limits.
“You can’t be the boss for life,” Domenicali told Corriere della Sera. “He’s made his mark, he’s won a lot. This decision will have sporting and market implications, and will lead to personnel changes. Everything is fluid; no one can think that the positions achieved are guaranteed by divine right.”
Marko revealed that the decision was made by Red Bull GmbH CEO Oliver Mintzlaff shortly after Silverstone.
“We informed Christian Horner of this on Tuesday in London after the Silverstone race, and at the same time officially thanked him for these 20 years, for these eight world championship titles,” Marko said in Spa. “This was a result of various factors, but above all, the performance wasn’t quite as good. Fortunately, we then brought Laurent Mekies from the family.
“His responsibilities will be significantly reduced. The main focus will be on racing.”
Speculation has mounted that Horner’s downfall was triggered by a clash with Max Verstappen’s camp. Reports suggest Horner wanted to enforce Verstappen’s full contract through 2028, while Jos Verstappen and manager Raymond Vermeulen were pushing for freedom to leave after 2026 – especially amid Mercedes interest.
Marko, however, dismissed the idea that the Verstappens played any role in Horner’s removal.
“That’s complete nonsense,” the 82-year-old said. “This is a decision made by the parent company’s management, and no one else’s.” He clarified that the decision was taken by Mintzlaff, Chalerm Yoovidhya, and Mark Mateschitz.
De Telegraaf reported that Yoovidhya, who once held the controlling stake in Red Bull, had supported Horner for a long time but recently sold 2 percent of his stake, equalising ownership with the Mateschitz family. The paper claims Yoovidhya finally backed change “to increase the chances of Verstappen staying”.
While Verstappen hasn’t yet confirmed his long-term plans, he told Sky Italia on Friday: “My goal is to stay at Red Bull. There’s no need to say a definitive yes now, things should improve. We hope to get closer to McLaren.”
Mekies, who is now leading the team, said the mission remains unchanged.
“I don’t think anyone doubts what Red Bull F1 is here to do in terms of objectives,” he said. “It’s to fight for wins and championships. In terms of mission statements, that’s the objective for the time being. Does anyone have a contract that guarantees him to stay forever? No. I don’t either. But I think it’s pretty normal in Formula 1.”
As for the length of his appointment, Mekies was vague.
“Not sure how much I can share,” he said. “We didn’t get into the why and the why now, but they outlined the sort of objectives they had for the team moving forward.”
On the question of keeping Verstappen onboard beyond 2026, Mekies said: “In terms of priority, I’m sure what Max wants is a fast car. If we get him a fast car, it cancels out all the other considerations.”
Red Bull Austria reportedly feels relieved that the situation with Horner has been resolved, with De Telegraaf stating that “a large delegation from the Austrian department” is present at Spa.
The paper notes: “It had been clear for some time that there was considerable friction with Horner at the center, as they felt the Englishman was trying to seize too much power after the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz.”
Mekies is said to have strong support from both the Austrian board and Verstappen himself. “He’s in good standing with many team members, the Austrian elite, and with Verstappen,” De Telegraaf wrote. “That’s a good starting point. He’ll focus much more on the racing team and less on peripheral matters.”
However, there are murmurs from Milton Keynes that Horner loyalists may soon depart.
“We don’t know anything about this,” Marko said when asked about possible exits.
Mekies’ power will remain limited for now.
“We’ll give him time,” Marko told Kleine Zeitung. “At the moment, he can only continue with the existing program.”
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