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red BullIn fact CEO Oliver Mintzlaff stressed that the company had to take action after Christian Horner Was removed from his role as f1 Team Principal in July.
Horner, who was the F1 organization’s team principal for 20 years, was sacked after a A terrible divide emerged Within the team and after a string of poor results earlier this year.
Horner, 52, won 14 world championships in charge of Red Bull but has been under heavy scrutiny following the allegations “inappropriate Behaviour“A female co-worker made allegations against him before the 2024 season. Following two internal investigations, Horner was twice acquitted.
Yet Mintzlaff, whose official title is chief executive of Red Bull GmbH (parent company) corporate projects and new investments, believed it was time for the team to “turn the page and start a new chapter”.
“I wouldn’t say it [sacking Horner] A risk, because we were 100 percent behind this measure,” Mintzlaff told the Dutch publication. Wire“We knew we had to do something, I’m not a so-called hire and fire manager, someone who just fires people,
“Christian has a great track record with the team and has achieved great success. Everyone at the company, including myself, appreciates what he has done.
“But that’s also part of being a professional organization. You can’t rely on history and we felt it was time to turn the page and start a new chapter.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, but we didn’t rush into it either.”
Red Bull’s outgoing advisor Helmut Marko launches Sharp attack on Horner last weekBritish executive accused of “lying” and believed max verstappen If he had been dismissed earlier he would have won this year’s World Championship.
verstappen Missed out on fifth consecutive title McLaren fell two points short of Lando Norris after a spectacular comeback, with the Dutchman 104 points clear of top spot with nine rounds remaining, but slightly behind.
Mintzlaff refused to address Marko’s comments, saying: “Those words about Christian are Helmut’s responsibility. I can’t say anything negative about Christian, just because he means a lot to Red Bull. But there always comes a time when things are not going well and then, as a company, you have to make a decision.
“Are you going to give someone more time, or is it time for a new leader? We felt it was time for a change.
“Christian and Helmut have worked brilliantly together for years since the beginning in 2005, so we are talking about more than 20 years.
“Give me some examples of other big sports organizations where the leadership team has been the same for so long. So you could look at it very negatively that they’ve both left now. But I would say it’s unique that they’ve been here together for so long and achieved so much.
“Sometimes you just need a change to turn things around.”
Red Bull begins a new chapter in 2026 as they launch their own power unit for the first time in partnership with Ford, with Isak Hedger partnering Verstappen. Meanwhile, Horner is strongly linked with Alpine after agreeing a deal £80 million payment in SeptemberWith the ability to rejoin a team in the spring of the following year.
The 2026 F1 season begins on March 8 in Melbourne, Australia.