Senior Red Bull staff members stood down from duties after Christian Horner exit

Christian Horner’s departure from Red Bull wasn’t the only change in the team’s senior staff structure in recent days.

On Wednesday, Red Bull GmbH confirmed that Christian Horner has been released from his role as team boss and CEO, but Horner is not the only staff member to have been stood down.

Paul Smith and Oliver Hughes placed on gardening leave

With Horner appearing at the Red Bull Racing and Technology campus in Milton Keynes on Wednesday morning to bid farewell to the staff, an event which is understood to have been quite emotional for both Horner and the assembled workers, it’s emerged that two senior members of staff have also been stood down from their roles.

Sources have indicated to PlanetF1.com that Paul Smith, Red Bull’s Group Director of Communications, as well as Oliver Hughes, Red Bull’s Chief Marketing Officer, have been placed on gardening leave.

This period refers to an employee of a company being stood down from their duties, on full pay, ahead of a full departure. It is a widely used practice in F1 to protect sensitive information and relationships.

Smith and Hughes are both believed to have been closely aligned with Horner, with Smith frequently appearing at Horner’s side throughout a Grand Prix weekend as the team boss handled media commitments.

Confirmation of successors for their roles is yet to be confirmed. PlanetF1.com has approached Red Bull GmbH on the matter.

Horner’s role as CEO of Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology has been filled by Laurent Mekies, who was team boss at sister team Racing Bulls. Confirmation of whether Mekies will be team principal has not yet been made, but the possibility is that a second name may yet be revealed in the role.

As for the reasons behind Horner’s departure, Red Bull is yet to confirm why the British executive, who had been in charge for 20 years, has been released.

Horner is yet to comment publicly, but Sky F1 broadcaster Martin Brundle revealed he has spoken to Horner since the bombshell news.

“It’s completely out of the blue, given things that are going on and the sort of problems in the team, words were getting out of team Verstappen and others,” Brundle said.

“I’m quite sad about it, if I’m honest. I consider Christian a friend, and he’s done an incredible job there for 20 years. Won an awful lot of races and World Championships for drivers and for the team, and even he took it from what was the Stewart team through Jaguar, and it was struggling, to a massive campus in Milton Keynes, and an awful lot of success and a huge trophy cabinet.

“But, it’s not been difficult to feel in the Formula 1 paddock, and to observe and to hear that things were not particularly rosy.

“I believe it’s probably performance-related as well. I think perhaps it makes it more likely that the Verstappens will stay there. I think that became quite personal, in some called it ‘Team Verstappen’.

“So I think there are a number of aspects, but particularly that the car is struggling. Although, they’ve won races this year, of course, they’ve won races brilliantly this year.

“So, I’m due to speak to Christian a bit later in the day. I’ve put a message through to him to say, sorry to read that out… In fact, I said to him, ‘Can we have a chat before I have to go on TV’, because I want to know more about it from his point of view, and wasn’t able to do that.

“What he did say to me was no reason was given to him as to why he’s been released. So that’s the only information I have on that.”

Read Next: Christian Horner ‘leaves an awesome legacy’ says ex-Red Bull chief after shock departure