Christian Horner ‘risk’ rejected as Red Bull boss breaks silence on sack decision

Red Bull boss Oliver Mintzlaff has defended the decision to sack Christian Horner during the F1 2025 season, insisting the company “knew we had to do something.” 

And he has distanced himself from Helmut Marko’s recent comments about the former Red Bull team principal following his own departure.

Red Bull boss addresses Christian Horner sack decision

Horner stands as the one of the most successful team bosses in F1 history having led Red Bull to six constructors’ titles and eight drivers’ championships – split evenly between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen – since his appointment in 2005.

The 52-year-old was sacked in the aftermath of July’s British Grand Prix with Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies installed as his replacement as chief executive and team principal.

Horner’s departure coincided with a remarkable turnaround for Red Bull and Verstappen, who had been restricted to just two wins in 2025 at the time of the change.

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Verstappen went on to win six of the final nine rounds, missing out on the title to McLaren’s Lando Norris by just two points.

In an interview last week, Marko – whose own departure from Red Bull was announced earlier this month – argued that Verstappen would have beaten Norris to the championship had Horner been sacked earlier.

Mintzlaff, the chief executive of corporate projects and new investments at parent company Red Bull GmbH, has denied that the decision to part company with Horner was risky, insisting the company “had to” act.

He told Dutch publication De Telegraaf of Horner’s exit: “I wouldn’t call it a risk, because we were 100 per cent behind this measure.

“We knew we had to do something. I’m not a so-called hire-and-fire manager, someone who fires people just like that.

“Christian has a great track record with the team and has achieved a lot of success. Everyone here in the company, myself included, appreciates him for what he has done.

“But this is also part of being 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.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but we didn’t rush into it either.”

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Marko’s comments came in an astonishing interview in which he claimed that “those last few years with Horner were not pleasant.”

The 82-year-old also claimed that “a lot has changed” inside Red Bull over recent years, with the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022 widely regarded as a key turning point in the company’s history.

Pressed on Marko’s comments, Mintzlaff refused to criticise Horner and insisted that Red Bull felt it was “time for change” after the team made a slow start to the 2025 season.

He said: “Those words about Christian are Helmut’s responsibility.

“I can’t say anything negative about Christian. Simply because he has meant a lot to Red Bull.

“But there always comes a time when things aren’t 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.

“I disagree with Helmut’s statements. Yes, it’s logical that things change in an organisation. Perhaps Dr Marko has also changed over the years.

“I think it’s quite normal that not everything is the same as it was five years ago.

“Christian and Helmut have worked together wonderfully for years, since the start in 2005, so we’re talking about more than 20 years.

“Give me a few examples of other large sports organisations where the leadership team has remained the same for so long.

“So you can view it very negatively that they are both gone now.

“But I would say that it is unique that they have been here together for so long and achieved so much.

“Sometimes you just need a change to shake things up.”

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