Günther Steiner believes that Red Bull faces enormous challenges ahead and that these problems cannot be solved simply by replacing team principal Christian Horner with Laurent Mekies.
The notion that 20 years of legacy can be erased in a single day is unrealistic, and complex issues certainly cannot be resolved with such a straightforward solution. Those who thought that Red Bull’s problems would vanish just by swapping their long-standing team principal Christian Horner for Laurent Mekies have had to reconsider. The impressive Sprint Race performance at Spa was misleading — a rare combination of favorable conditions and the extraordinary talent of Max Verstappen temporarily masked deeper issues. However, the Hungarian Grand Prix exposed many of the fundamental weaknesses of the RB21 car.
At the Hungaroring, Max Verstappen fought with his usual aggressive style but could only manage a disappointing ninth place finish, certainly not the ideal way to head into the summer break. There is an extensive amount of work to be done at Red Bull, not only to address the 2025 season but especially to prepare for the crucial 2026 campaign. This year will be vital not only to properly direct the team’s new technical cycle but also to convince Max Verstappen, known as “Super Max,” to honor his contract which expires in 2028.
Günther Steiner, the experienced former team principal of Haas, has spoken openly about the situation. He said that Laurent Mekies will need to roll up his sleeves immediately during this delicate phase. Günther Steiner described the current state of Red Bull as being in decline rather than on the rise. He emphasized that Mekies is no magician and faces an enormous amount of work ahead, which could take years to bear fruit. Steiner told web.de: “The unrest in the team was not a surprise; it had been building up for more than a year and a half, with new problems constantly emerging. At some point, they must have realized: ‘Now we need to calm things down.’”
Günther Steiner also highlighted that Red Bull’s performance levels have dropped from previous standards, and Max Verstappen is clearly unhappy, which is concerning for the team since they want to keep their star driver content. This is why Red Bull aims to reposition itself and strengthen its squad. However, recruiting top talent is difficult because many valuable team members have left and joined rival teams. Steiner added that another major mountain Red Bull must climb is their engine project with Ford. This is a huge undertaking, and he cautioned that the first year of this engine program is unlikely to be without problems.
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