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Christian Horner has been unexpectedly removed from his position after twenty years at the helm of Red Bull. The change marks the end of an era in Formula 1 and confirms the claims often made by former driver Ralf Schumacher.
Why was the change made?
The experienced driver, who became known for his analysis after his retirement, believes that the reason why Red Bull is no longer a dominant team is precisely poor management in recent times. “Christian Horner had an incredibly successful period at Red Bull – 20 years and many titles won,” he told Sky Deutschland. However, in recent years things have changed and serious problems have arisen.
One of the biggest problems has been Horner’s personal life, which has negatively affected the atmosphere within the team. In addition, key people such as Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall and Jonathan Wheatley have left the team, and the 48-year-old has failed to bring in new members who could fill the gaps and return the team to success.
What made the situation even more difficult is the fact that Red Bull is currently in fourth place in the constructors' standings, with a large point gap behind the leading teams. The driver who dominated for years, Max Verstappen, is now behind the leader in the standings, and the chances of a fifth consecutive title are diminishing.
Laurent Mekies, who previously managed sister team Racing Bulls, has taken over as CEO of RB Racing.
New beginning or end of dominance?
Schumacher believes that Austrian team went in the wrong direction under Horner's leadership. "Simply - lack of success. He reorganized everything, appointed someone new as number one, accepted the departure of Adrian Newey because he thought that everything would work better in that new line-up, but he failed. In the end, Red Bull is going backwards," he pointed out.
He also said that due to the personal problems of the 48-year-old, new quality people did not want to join the team, which made the situation even more difficult.
“That’s why it was time. Everyone who is in the paddock and knows the situation well knows how he is viewed there. In the end, it really came to the point that he could no longer attract quality people. They simply did not want to come because of his personal problems. I think that is why Red Bull finally made a move,” concluded the former driver.
This change opens a new phase for Red Bull, a team that has long dominated Formula 1, and it remains to be seen whether the new management will be able to return them to the top.
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