Red Bull staff have recently been asked to do one thing that shows the intense ‘paranoia’ at the team

Follow us on Google Discover

Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull Racing on Wednesday after a tumultuous 18 months with the team, which saw a number of key members leave to take up positions elsewhere on the grid.

The snowball started with the departure of Adrian Newey before the 2024 Miami Grand Prix in May, with the on-track results painting a vivid picture.

In the 31 Grands Prix since Newey’s departure, Red Bull have won seven races, which is in stark contrast to the 28 wins the team celebrated in the 31 races prior.

The 66-year-old’s motive for wanting to move on from Red Bull was partly down to his relationship with team principal Horner becoming increasingly fractured, due to Newey feeling like he wasn’t getting enough credit for his work.

Following Newey’s exit, Jos Verstappen predicted the downfall of Red Bull, adding that the move ‘is not good for the future.’

Christian Horner’s issues caused ‘paranoia’ about what Red Bull staff were telling journalists

According to a report from the BBC, the environment at Red Bull had also been growing increasingly difficult, with some staff being ‘quizzed’ by management if they were seen talking to journalists within the F1 paddock.

“Red Bull had become a difficult environment in many ways,” the report starts. “Because of all the issues surrounding Horner, there was a paranoia about the place.

“People spotted talking to journalists were quizzed as to what they had told them. Horner’s departure should mean that concern goes away.”

A Red Bull insider noted the rudderless atmosphere within the team’s garage, noting that the engineers were suffering from a ‘leadership void’.

Laurent Mekies’ appointment signals a ‘step in the right direction’ for Red Bull

Horner’s successor, Laurent Mekies, now has the task of trying to retain Verstappen as well as changing the culture of the team to reflect a change in leadership.

“Beyond keeping hold of Verstappen and resolving whatever is going wrong in the design department, Mekies needs to find a way to re-stabilise Red Bull after a period of immense change, and to stop the brain drain.”

The report also states that Horner’s departure alone is a ‘step in the right direction’ for the team, but ‘Mekies has many more steps to take to get Red Bull back to their best.’

Ralf Schumacher also pointed out that Mekies brings a ‘human element’ back to Red Bull, something he says they had started to lose towards the latter stages of Horner’s tenure.