Martin Brundle crowns Jos Verstappen Red Bull team principal in new Horner sack claim
Jos Verstappen famously called for Christian Horner to resign as Red Bull F1 boss in 2024
Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle says Jos Verstappen has effectively been team principal of Red Bull since he called for Christian Horner to resign in early 2024.
Horner was ‘released’ from his role as Red Bull team principal earlier this month after more than 20 years in charge, with Laurent Mekies installed as his successor as chief executive and team boss.
Martin Brundle: Jos Verstappen the real Red Bull team principal
Horner’s dismissal brought to an end a tumultuous final 18 months in charge at Milton Keynes, defined by his war of words with Jos Verstappen, the father of reigning four-time World Champion Max.
Verstappen famously called for Horner to resign in the aftermath of his son’s victory at the 2024 season opener in Bahrain, warning the team would “explode” if the team boss remained in place.
Red Bull has since lost key pillars of its success like Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, who opted to join Aston Martin and Sauber respectively, after almost 20 years with the team.
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The team’s competitiveness has also declined over the last two seasons, with Verstappen restricted to just two victories so far in F1 2025 – two years after dominating the 2023 campaign by winning 19 out of a possible 22 races.
Brundle, who is known to have a close relationship with Horner, pointed the finger at ‘Team Verstappen’ in the immediate aftermath of the 51-year-old’s dismissal, claiming the Red Bull driver’s entourage played a “key role” in the decision.
The long-serving commentator appeared to row back on his original comments at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, insisting the Verstappens were “not asking for this.”
In a fresh statement, Brundle claimed that he has regarded Jos Verstappen as the one calling the shots at Red Bull since he publicly undermined Horner at Bahrain 2024.
Asked if Verstappen’s calls for Horner to leave played a part in Red Bull’s decision, Brundle told Sky F1: “Absolutely.
“I think since Bahrain last year, I’ve almost considered Jos as the team principal of Red Bull.
“It’s become a one-driver team and I think that’s something they’ve got to fix as well.
“But there’s no way the hierarchy in Austria would have done this [sacked Horner without the Verstappen camp being aware].
“The Verstappens would have bought into this. They wouldn’t have been blindsided.
“So there’s no way that Max will now be leaving the team because of that.
“They would have ensured that before they made that move with Christian.”
Brundle went on to claim that Helmut Marko, the long-serving Red Bull driver, is now the team’s “primary” representative on a race weekend in Horner’s absence.
Asked what Mekies will bring to Red Bull, he said: “He’ll be solid, He’ll be professional. He knows the business inside out.
“But it’s the way Formula 1’s going now: technical people who have played a key role in Formula 1 in the past [rising to team boss roles].
“They know success within the team. They know what works, what doesn’t work, what it looks like from within the team.
“It now seems as if Helmut Marko is the primary person on site at a grand prix on any given weekend.”
More on Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing from PlanetF1.com
As revealed by PlanetF1.com over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Max Verstappen is now expected to stay with Red Bull for the F1 2026 season, ending speculation over a potential move to Mercedes.
His decision to stay put should clear the way for George Russell to sign a new contract to remain with Mercedes.
PlanetF1.com reported on Wednesday that Russell is closing in on a new multi-year deal that is set to keep him at Mercedes until at least the end of the 2027 campaign.
Russell’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli is also expected to be retained for F1 2026, with an announcement possible ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.
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