Why Ralf Schumacher now ‘suspects’ that Christian Horner won’t ‘survive’ at Red Bull

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Christian Horner oversaw the most dominant season in F1 history last year. Red Bull won 21 out of 22 races, romping to a second consecutive constructors’ title by 451 points.

2024 began in a similarly imperious fashion. Red Bull prevailed in four of the first five Grands Prix, scoring a one-two in three of them, and once again looked a level above the rest.

But problems started to emerge behind the scenes. Horner has publicly fallen out with Jos Verstappen, intensifying doubts over the future of world champion Max.

Horner’s feud with Helmut Marko nearly triggered an exit clause in Verstappen’s deal, but they made amends. In fact, following the power struggle at Red Bull, the team principal appeared to consolidate his position.

That wasn’t enough to prevent the departure of legendary designer Adrian Newey, who’s joined Aston Martin, nor that of sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who’s headed to Audi. And coincidentally or otherwise, Red Bull have now started to struggle on track.

They haven’t won since the Spanish GP on 23 June, seven races ago. With McLaren now firmly established as F1’s fastest team and Mercedes and Ferrari occasionally ahead, Red Bull have only scored two podiums in that sequence.

Ralf Schumacher thinks Red Bull’s struggles could cost Christian Horner his job

Heading into this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Bulls still lead the constructors’ championship. However, the gap stands at just eight points and, on current form, the expectation is that McLaren will dethrone them for the first time since Spain 2022.

Red Bull’s current trajectory also bodes poorly for 2025, when the cars will remain broadly the same. And speaking on the formel1.de YouTube channel, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher predicted that this could be the end for Horner.

While the Englishman has been able to ‘survive’ the upheaval of recent months, the team’s shareholders may not accept their current regression. Horner has led Red Bull since their arrival in 2005, making him the longest-serving team principal in F1.

Schumacher said: “The performance is no longer there. That’s something he has to accept. I’m not sure whether he can survive it. I suspect no.”

How Christian Horner reacted to Adrian Newey’s Aston Martin move

Inevitably, many will attribute Red Bull’s problems to the impending departure of Newey. While he won’t officially leave until March next year, he’s already handed over to his successors.

His predominant focus at this point is the RB17 hypercar, rather than the RB20. He’s only appearing at races where there are important marketing opportunities for the project.

According to Sky Sports F1’s Craig Slater, Horner’s reaction to Newey’s decision was rather ‘vague’. When asked if he was ‘relieved’ that the 65-year-old was joining midfield outfit Aston Martin rather than a direct rival, he simply stated he’d support his former colleague wherever he chose to go.

Horner angered Newey by downplaying his influence on Red Bull’s success. That was one of numerous factors that led to his resignation in the spring.