Helmut Marko breaks silence on Christian Horner’s shock Red Bull sacking

Red Bull’s long-serving team principal, Christian Horner, has been relieved of his duties following what has been described as a disappointing season for the Formula 1 powerhouse. The announcement came on July 9, just three days after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, marking a sudden end to Horner’s two-decade leadership. He has been succeeded by Laurent Mekies, who will assume a reshaped role within the team.

Silverstone signals tipping point

The decision followed a lackluster showing at Silverstone, where Max Verstappen managed a third-place finish, and teammate Yuki Tsunoda failed to score.

The results left Verstappen trailing championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points, while Red Bull dropped to fourth in the Constructors’ standings. The underwhelming performance at such a critical point in the season is believed to have solidified Horner’s fate.

Helmut Marko breaks silence on Christian Horner decision

Helmut Marko, the influential figure behind Red Bull’s driver development program, had remained publicly silent following Horner’s dismissal, until now. Speaking for the first time on the matter, Marko was quick to clarify that the call wasn’t his.

The decision was made by Oliver Mintzlaff (managing director of Red Bull GmbH), Marko revealed. We informed Christian Horner of this on Tuesday in London after the Silverstone race, at the same time officially thanking him for these 20 years and for these eight World Championship titles.

Performance at the heart of decision

Marko emphasized that performance issues were the primary cause of the leadership change.

This was the result of various factors, but above all, the performance wasn’t quite as good as it could have been, he said.

He also confirmed that Laurent Mekies, who joins from Ferrari, will take on a more narrowly focused role.

Fortunately, we were able to bring Laurent Mekies into the family. His responsibilities will be significantly reduced, with the main focus being on racing.

A period of turmoil for Red Bull

Horner’s departure caps a turbulent stretch for Red Bull. Legendary designer Adrian Newey has signed with Aston Martin, while sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has departed for Sauber. Though Horner was cleared of misconduct in an internal investigation last year, sources confirm the matter had no impact on this month's decision.