Red Bull power play: How Austria is tightening its grip on the F1 team

It’s well known that an often-brutal power struggle has been in raging behind the scenes at Red Bull for the past 18 months. But who was it who finally won out and pulled the plug on Christian Horner?

Step forward Oliver Mintzlaff, one of the company’s three CEOs appointed as part of the succession plan put in place by the late Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz. It was Mintzlaff who was observed openly seething at being placed in the spotlight alongside Horner and his wife Geri at the F1 75 launch in London’s O2 Arena earlier this year, picked out on the big screens as host Jack Whitehall kept up a torrent of ‘edgy’ humour.

Speaking to Sky Germany at the Belgian Grand Prix, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was unequivocal: “The decision was made by the management, namely Oliver Mintzlaff.”

Despite Horner’s undeniable success over 20 years, Marko said the end of his era was ultimately inevitable: “Various factors played a role. But above all, the performance wasn’t quite what we had envisioned.”

So-called ‘Team Verstappen’ – consisting of Max’s father Jos Verstappen and manager Raymond Vermeulen – seems, according to paddock whispers, to have found renewed peace of mind since Horner’s ousting. The media narrative has shifted as well: where Verstappen was once widely linked to Mercedes, it’s now believed he’ll remain with Red Bull at least for 2026.

However, Marko was quick to reject the idea that Horner was kicked into the long grass to appease Verstappen’s entourage: “There is no Verstappen faction, no Austrian or Thai faction. The entire company operates in harmony. Otherwise, the kind of success we’ve had – both commercially and on track – wouldn’t be possible.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Despite this claim it’s apparent that Red Bull GmbH, headquartered in Fuschl am See, near Salzburg in Austria, intends to take a firmer hand in managing the F1 operation in Milton Keynes. Once regarded as Horner’s territory, the factory is now being re-evaluated by Austrian leadership, who believe the same results could have been achieved with leaner staffing.

“We are reviewing everything to achieve maximum efficiency” was Marko’s coded response to ORF when reporter Ernst Hausleitner raised the subject of what paddock insiders describe as “unchecked growth” in recent years.

“And of course, the scope of Horner’s responsibilities was… or rather, he controlled everything and was involved in every detail. Naturally, that created areas where performance suffered. That’s why the focus now is on having a trained engineer in this position, with a strong emphasis on the race team.”

That trained engineer is Laurent Mekies, previously team principal at the Racing Bulls in Faenza. While Mekies, like Horner before him, officially holds overall responsibility, Marko says the long-term plan is to divide Horner’s former duties among several people. As Mekies himself put it upon assuming office: “The aim is to avoid bottlenecks.”

During this transitional phase, said Marko, Austria is becoming more actively involved in Red Bull Racing’s day-to-day operations: “The focus has to be on the race team. Of course, there are departments like marketing and communications, and Salzburg has enormous expertise in those areas. Until suitable department heads are appointed, Salzburg will provide support.”

Mekies’ background in engineering is seen as a clear asset, according to Marko: “Other teams have already demonstrated the benefits of this approach. We saw that he did excellent work at Racing Bulls. The team made technical and presentational strides forward.”

Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Marko underscores the importance of narrowing the team principal’s scope of duties: “The Milton Keynes organisation has 2,000 employees. Mekies will focus primarily on technical matters and the race team. Marketing, the RB17 project, and Powertrains will each be handled by their own dedicated leaders, freeing Mekies to concentrate fully on achieving racing success.”

It’s a strategy that Mekies seems to embrace: “One of our top priorities is to ensure we maintain the right focus and avoid bottlenecks at every level of the organisation. With that mindset, we’re now taking the next necessary steps.”

Marko, 82, also confirmed that Red Bull had a Plan B in case Mekies declined the offer to become team principal. However, he did not disclose who that alternative candidate would have been – despite being pressed for details.

It’s also worth noting that Horner is still officially under contract with Red Bull. A termination agreement is currently being negotiated and, until then, he remains on full salary.

“No one will replace his [Horner’s] character,” Mekies said. “No one can step into his shoes exactly. I’ve come in to do the job of CEO and team principal.

“Is there any way to do it the way Christian did? No. Certainly not me. But we’ll be relying on the tremendous strengths within this team.”