Christian Horner’s sacking treatment reportedly leaves Red Bull staff with a bitter taste

Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner was sacked by the Milton Keynes outfit soon after the British GP. It was sudden, not only for fans, but also for Horner and the Red Bull members. Some employees from the Milton-Keynes outfit have detailed the discontent that Horner's sacking has left behind.

Horner had been the Red Bull team principal since the team was founded in the mid-2000s. The exit came amid the reports of Max Verstappen being in talks with Toto Wolff over a switch to Mercedes for 2026, and the recent drop in performance.

Some sources suggested that Max Verstappen’s camp played a part in Horner's exit, with the Dutchman meeting with Oliver Mintzlaff in the days leading up to the exit. Some suggested that Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko and Oliver Mintzlaff had a part to play, while it was also believed that the former team principal couldn't be sacked without co-owner Chalerm Yoovidhya’s permission.

F1 Grand Prix Of Japan - Source: Getty

Christian Horner took to the Milton-Keynes facility for his farewell speech just 12 hours after the sacking. The former Red Bull TP shared that the sacking came as a shock to him too.

A couple of Red Bull employees spoke with The Sun and detailed what it has been like at Milton Keynes since Christian Horner’s departure. They suggested that Helmut Marko and Oliver Mintzlaff are now in power, and have reportedly made comments that have left the staff with a bitter taste.

A Red Bull employee said:

“It was only a day after Christian was sacked and a lot of the team were still upset when Mr Marko addressed us. But he just made a joke of it and told us to cheer up. He said, ‘You need to smile more’. It didn’t endear him to anyone as what is there to smile about?”

Red Bull's Chief Marketing Officer Oliver Hughes and Director of Communications Paul Smith also left the team following Horner's departure. An employee detailed how Oliver Mintzlaff made an ill-timed joke about the exits, as he said:

“Mintzlaff also said, ‘If you have any problems, just text your line manager’. Then he added, ‘Oh, and if you don’t have a line manager any more, just text me!’ and started laughing.”

McLaren CEO Zak Brown “not surprised” by Christian Horner’s sacking

Christian Horner was accused of sexually harassing a worker last year. However, it was investigated twice by Red Bull, and Horner wasn't found guilty of anything. This led to a power struggle at Red Bull, which led to Adrian Newey's exit from the team.

F1 Grand Prix of USA - Final Practice - Source: Getty

Zak Brown came out and pointed at the instability at Red Bull over the last couple of years, as he spoke about Christian Horner’s sacking. He said, via TSN:

“I'm maybe [surprised by] the timing, but not the result. I think there's been a lot of drama there the last couple of years, and it doesn't seem like that drama has been calming down - maybe been getting worse.

“So, I'm not surprised, anytime in the middle of the season. But we're head down on our championship. They've got Max [Verstappen] still knocking on the door, so we've got to pay attention to that. But, yeah, tremendous amount of success they've had.”

Laurent Mekies has been appointed by Red Bull as Christian Horner’s replacement, with Alan Permane taking over the leadership role at VCARB.