Helmut Marko Reveals Details On Christian Horner Sacking: Who Made The Decision And Why

Red Bull Racing senior advisor Helmut Marko opened up on former team principal Christian Horner’s ousting after the British Grand Prix, revealing who made the decision and the likely reason behind the major announcement.

Red Bull parted ways with Horner after a partnership of 20 years that celebrated eight drivers’ championships and six team titles. The sudden nature of his exit has raised questions about the reason for Horner’s departure. Horner was replaced by former Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies.

The team has not revealed the reason for his ousting, but now, Marko has opened up, revealing that the managing director of Red Bull GmbH, Oliver Mintzlaff, took the call to part ways with Horner. Speaking to Sky Deutschland, the 82-year-old advisor said:

“The decision was made by Oliver Mintzlaff. We informed Christian Horner of this on Tuesday in London after the Silverstone race, at the same time officially thanking him for these 20 years and for these eight World Championship titles.”

Marko added that performance was one of the concerns that led to the decision. He said:

“This was the result of various factors, but above all, the performance wasn’t quite as good as it could have been.

“Fortunately, we were able to bring Laurent Mekies into the family. His responsibilities will be significantly reduced, with the main focus being on racing.”

Newsweek Sports also reported Max Verstappen’s comments ahead of the race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. The Dutch driver stated that he was told about the decision a day before the announcement by Red Bull and hinted that the reason would be made public. He said:

“I have a good relationship with them, you know, so I think it’s quite normal that they inform some people in the team before it goes out. I think it’s a standard practice.

“I gave them my opinion. And I keep that to myself. And if they want to say more about it, they will do. And you will hear about it.”

The four-time world champion added that Horner’s exit does not influence his future with Red Bull. He said:

“I don’t think it will matter at all for my decision in the future. And yet, the only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can make it, really. And like I said, the last one and a half years have not been what we want to be. Now we try and be more competitive this year a little bit, but for sure also with the new regulations.”

He added:

“Sitting here, you look back at those 20 years of Red Bull, I think we’ve had a lot of great years, great results. There are also years where it’s not going that well. And I think the last one and a half years have not gone how we would have liked.

“Management decided they wanted to steer the ship in a different direction probably. Everyone else of course has to anyway agree to that and look forward. And I am looking forward. But at the same time, we do appreciate, of course, those 20 years and especially from my side the 10, 11 years that I’ve been part of Red Bull.

“Those things will always be remembered. And the relationship between myself and Christian, for example, that doesn’t change. Of course, he’s not here now during a race weekend. But it’s still like a second family to me.”