The dismissal of Christian Horner from Red Bull happened amid huge media attention and at a moment when the team was clearly struggling: Max Verstappen and the squad were finding it difficult to match McLaren’s pace in the opening races of the season.
Horner, who had led the team since its foundation in 2005, had overseen every aspect of the structure, including the young power unit division. His position was then taken over smoothly by Laurent Mekies, who has been credited with driving the revival of the Milton Keynes team and bringing Verstappen back into the title fight.
However, as reported by Motorsport Week, former Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel believes the true effects of Horner’s departure have not yet become fully visible. The German also admitted he was taken aback by the decision of the board.
“I was surprised,” he said to Sky Sports during the São Paulo weekend. “Christian had been there for so long, right from the very beginning, and he knew this team perfectly.”
While acknowledging the progress made under laurent Mekies, Sebastian Vettel stressed how Horner’s influence is still deeply felt. At the same time, he raised some concerns about the team’s long-term direction: “I think for this year everything was already in place. I also know Laurent, his successor, and I worked with him. He is a fantastic person, but Christian left a huge legacy: not only the success, but also his central role and his deep understanding of every aspect of the team.”
“Right now I don’t know the details of the organisation or the future plans, so I think it’s fair to say that we should wait and see how things go.”
In recent months, Sebastian Vettel had been linked to Red Bull in a possible management role, but the four-time World Champion confirmed that talks never went beyond an initial stage: “I also read all the rumours. I spoke a bit with Helmut, but it never went beyond a few early conversations. Nothing ever materialised.”
The German then explained his current relationship with Formula 1: “At the moment I am happy with my life. I love F1. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep following it because I needed some distance, but now I watch the races and I love them. I love this sport and I still know a lot of people in the paddock, so in a way I still feel close to the environment.”
Finally, Sebastian Vettel left the door open to a possible future return to the paddock: “I don’t know. If one day the right opportunity came along, the right role, with the right perspective… maybe I could accept. But only time will tell.”
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