Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has confirmed the real reasons behind the sudden, shock ousting of Christian Horner during the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Embroiled in a bitter power battle with Red Bull’s owners following the death of Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022, Horner’s future became uncertain.
Allegations of inappropriate behaviour dogged the Briton from 2023, with a series of leaks and statements distracting the team from the job of racing.
Combined with the prolonged behind-the-scenes struggles as Horner battled to retain control of Red Bull Racing, matters came to a head, fired after the British Grand Prix.
Mintzlaff maintains that Horner’s dismissal was required in order for Red Bull to move forward after the off-track distractions.
“I wouldn’t call it a risk, because we were 100 per cent behind this decision,” he said to the Dutch publication De Telegraaf. “Because we knew we had to do something.
“I’m not a so-called ‘hire-and-fire manager’, someone who just fires people.”
Looking to the future critical for Red Bull
Mintzlaff then revealed the rationale behind Horner’s sudden firing, which included a severance package worth millions of pounds that allows him the potential to return to the grid.
He hinted that Horner’s methods were trapped in the past, preventing the team from breaking out of the competitive slump that had enveloped the team since mid-2024.
“Christian has a fantastic track record with the team and achieved a great deal of success,” he said.
“Everyone here at the company, myself included, appreciates him for what he’s done.
“But this is also part of a professional organisation. You can’t keep relying on history, and we felt it was time to turn the page and start a new chapter.
“That wasn’t an easy decision, but we didn’t make it overnight either.”
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