Red Bull Managing Director Oliver Mintzlaff has issued a public declaration of faith in Team Principal Christian Horner to continue leading the brand’s Formula 1 side.
Horner has been in charge at Red Bull since its inception in 2005, but his future was made unclear earlier this term amid a probe into alleged inappropriate behaviour.
Although Horner was cleared of the allegations made against him by an employee at the end of an internal investigation, an evident power struggle has since ensued.
Rumours have suggested that Horner retains the backing of the majority Thai owners at Red Bull but the Austrian contingent has leaned towards seeing his departure.
Despite attending the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March, Mintzlaff had not backed Horner and instead sat down for crunch talks with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.
But speaking to the German national paper Bild Am Sonntag, Mintzlaff, 48, has communicated his desire to see Horner remain in his current position for the long term.
“I am convinced of that,” Mintzlaff said. “He only has the team’s success in mind and is a very good CEO.”
The speculation that there is tension inside the Red Bull ranks has heightened again this week amid the revelation that design guru Adrian Newey will leave in 2025.
But like Horner and Max Verstappen, Mintzlaff believes that the existing technical structure Red Bull has in place is well-equipped to continue winning in his absence.
“Adrian has done great things here over the years and played a big part in us winning 13 World Championship titles,” he added.
“It’s obviously a shame that he’s leaving us, but we discussed it in a very fair and respectful dialogue.
“What he leaves behind is not only a unique legacy but also a structure that he helped to build.
“Of course, we will miss him – also as a person – but tomorrow we will still know how to build a very fast Formula 1 car.”
Newey’s impending exit will mean Red Bull is unable to depend on his ideas when it comes to brand-new technical regulations being introduced to the sport in 2026.
While Mintzlaff accepts that Red Bull’s nascent engine build is a “big task”, he has the utmost confidence that the reigning champions will rise to the occasion again.
“In 2026 we want to continue where we are currently: at the top of Formula 1,” he declared.
“Of course, there is no guarantee of this, but while we have proven that we can handle major rule changes, other teams have not managed to close the gap for three years.
“Max will also have noticed this, and it makes me look totally positive into the future. We haven’t just been preparing for 2026 since yesterday.
“Sure, building your own engine is a big task and challenge, but we are confident that we can master this step. This is the next stage of development for Red Bull.”
