Red Bull chief Max Verstappen doesn’t trust is now ‘vulnerable’ after Christian Horner sacking

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Red Bull have made a big change at the top of their Formula 1 hierarchy after sacking Christian Horner, yet the Briton might not be the last big name to be shown the door.

The 51-year-old had steered the ship in Milton Keynes for the last 20 years, as Horner joined Red Bull soon after the Austrian energy drink giant bought the ailing Jaguar outfit from Ford. He would even lead Red Bull to six constructors’ titles, eight drivers’ titles and 124 race wins.

But Red Bull only winning six of the past 29 Grands Prix, thanks to Max Verstappen, saw Thai majority owner Chalerm Yoovidhya join his Red Bull GmbH counterparts Oliver Mintzlaff and Mark Mateschitz in losing faith in Horner – who had also been trying to earn greater control.

So, the news emerged last week that Red Bull sacked Horner without telling him why he was being removed from his operational role as their F1 team principal and CEO. Laurent Mekies has also taken over while Red Bull and Horner negotiate his pay-off that could exceed £50m.

Pierre Wache is now ‘quite vulnerable’ after Red Bull sacked Christian Horner

Losing Yoovidhya’s backing was the last nail in Horner’s coffin at Red Bull. The Milton Keynes squad fell from winning all but one of the 22 Grands Prix in 2023 to coming third in the 2024 F1 constructors’ standings. Red Bull are even fourth in 2025 and trail McLaren by 288 points.

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So, their axe might fall again soon, as Red Bull sacking Horner has now left technical director Pierre Wache ‘quite vulnerable’. The Race’s Scott Mitchell-Malm reports that Horner was the French engineer’s ‘biggest supporter’, yet the Verstappen camp has its doubts about Wache.

The Verstappen camp has had its issues with Wache, and it even ‘butted heads’ with the 50-year-old whom Horner promoted to replace Adrian Newey in charge of Red Bull’s technical department. Horner even awarded Wache a lot of credit while Newey was still at the team.

How Horner largely devalued Newey’s role was part of the reason why the most successful designer in F1 history left Red Bull and joined Aston Martin. Yet Horner making Wache ‘the totem’ of Red Bull’s technical department leaves him at risk given their woes on the circuit.

Max Verstappen has lost his trust in Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache

Along with Red Bull sacking Horner and appointing Racing Bulls boss Mekies as their new F1 team principal and CEO, it might not help Wache’s position that the Frenchman has also lost Verstappen’s trust. Red Bull will want to do everything they can to keep Verstappen in 2026.

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It had already been said for some time that Verstappen lost confidence in Wache amid Red Bull’s poor start to 2025, having regularly struggled with through-corner balance problems. The Dutchman often had to dance his RB21 on the edge due to its rear end becoming light.

Verstappen lost his trust in Wache’s technical team as the department has been reluctant to take responsibility for Red Bull’s problems this year, as well. Additionally, Verstappen’s camp has no confidence in Wache and was stunned after he said Racing Bulls can inspire Red Bull.

Even Ralf Schumacher has suggested that Verstappen has no hope in Wache designing Red Bull’s car for F1’s 2026 regulations, given the problems he has faced with not only their car this season but also last term. The updates that Wache has overseen have rarely delivered.