With Christian Horner gone, Red Bull undergoes major structural overhaul

More than a month after initially relieving Christian Horner of his duties at Red Bull, the Austrian giant has incorporated a host of changes at the top of its subsidiaries surrounding its F1 team. Moreover, Helmut Marko has been given increased responsibilities with a name returning to the hierarchy of the team.

Horner has led the Milton Keynes-based squad since its inception in 2005. After his departure a few weeks earlier, the Austrian energy drink maker was tasked with the duty of filling the Briton's void in the various spheres that the 51-year-old had his foot in.

With the details of the newly established hierarchy in the document submitted by the Austrian giant, Helmut Marko and Stefan Salzer were announced as the new directors at RBR, with the latter being the Global Head of HR at Red Bull GmbH.

Thomas Maher

@thomasmaheronf1

Off the back of the slew of paperwork today, here are the updated directors at each Red Bull company: ​RBR (the #F1 team): Helmut Marko/Stefan Salzer. RBPT: Marko/Alistair Rew. RBAT & RBAS: Marko/Rew. ​Red Bull Technology (holding company for the four): Salzer/Rew.

Marko has a grasp of other operations also, as he and Alistair Rew will oversee the work at RBPT, Red Bull Advanced Technologies, and Red Bull Advanced Services. While Rew and Salzer also take on the roles of being the directors at Red Bull Technology.

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Why was Christian Horner sacked by Red Bull?

Christian Horner (L) and Helmut Marko (R) at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia - Source: Getty

After leading the team to eight drivers' and six constructors' titles, many had expected Christian Horner to stay at the helm of the Milton Keynes-based squad. But his sudden departure startled the paddock.

With the Belgian GP being the first weekend, with Horner not leading the outfit for the first time since 2005, fellow members of the hierarchy were questioned about the two parties parting ways. Helmut Marko then revealed to Sky Germany why the team decided to sack Horner, as he said, via Sky Sports:

"The decision was made by the management - that is, Oliver Mintzlaff. We informed Christian Horner of it in London. At the same time, we officially thanked him for 20 years and eight world titles. It was the result of various factors. But primarily, performance was not quite where it should be.

"Luckily, we were able to bring in Laurent Mekies from within the Red Bull family. His role will be significantly more focused - primarily on racing. He's an excellent engineer, which is a good fit considering the complex technology in Formula 1. We've already seen that he communicates very well with the staff. We're hopeful that we can gradually return to the top."

Meanwhile, since his departure, the Austrian giant has faced two F1 race weekends. Though the team won the first race held under Laurent Mekies' leadership at the Belgian GP sprint, the Grand Prix has not been kind to the outfit.

Yuki Tsunoda has yet to bring points for the team since the Emilia Romagna GP, while Max Verstappen finished off the podium at the Belgian GP and finished a dismal ninth at the Hungarian GP before the summer break.