Mass exodus at Red Bull as key personnel follow Christian Horner out of the team: Reports

Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull on July 9, 2025, as the 51-year-old took leave from the team he had built over the last two decades. However, as per the reports, Horner isn't the only one leaving Red Bull, with senior members of the team also departing.

The former Red Bull TP was sacked effective immediately by the Milton Keynes-based outfit. The news came out of the blue, leaving the F1 world in shock. Some rumors around the Imola GP suggested moving away, but the same were denied.

However, Horner wasn't the only one who left Red Bull, as Motorsports reporter Thomas Maher came out and revealed another two key personnel who found their way out of Red Bull Racing. The reporter revealed that Oliver Hughes and Paul Smith have also left the team.

Thomas Maher's tweet read,

“It's understood that Christian Horner is not the only person to have departed Red Bull. Chief marketing officer Oliver Hughes and Group Director of Communications Paul Smith have also left. #F1”

Oliver Hughes joined Red Bull in 2017 after working with Electronic Arts (EA) for over a decade. Paul Smith, on the other hand, joined Red Bull in 2022 as the Head of Communications and was promoted to Director of Communications and social media last year in August.

Christian Horner was accused of sexually harassing a worker last year but the same was investigated by Red Bull and the TP was found not guilty. The power dynamic has already been tricky at Red Bull with the co-owner Chalerm Yoovidhya wanting to keep Horner, whereas Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff wants to change the leadership.

This was followed by a power struggle at Red Bull where Helmut Marko, Christian Horner, Jos Verstappen, and the senior management got involved. This, in combination with the recent slump in performance, made Red Bull a very complex environment.

With two senior members reportedly leaving alongside Christian Horner, the power dynamic at Red Bull will change, and might lead to a massive overhaul. Verstappen is also rumored to be in talks with Toto Wolff over a possible switch to Mercedes.

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Max Verstappen met with Oliver Mintzlaff in the lead-up to Christian Horner's sacking

According to the sources, multiple meetings took place within Red Bull in the last two weeks, one of which was between Max Verstappen and Oliver Mintzlaff. The Dutchman has not been content with the car, and the talks with Toto Wolff have now been going on for over a month.

F1 Grand Prix of Austria - Practice - Source: Getty

The meetings took place during the Austrian GP and the British GP, where the four-time champion struggled and barely scored any points. Red Bull hasn't been able to deliver the Dutchman a strong car, as reports suggested that there is a performance-based clause in Verstappen's contract.

Sources also suggested that Christian Horner couldn't have been sacked without Chalerm Yoovidhya’s approval.