Ally of Christian Horner reveals true feelings about sacking of Red Bull boss

Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan has admitted he was shocked by Christian Horner’s departure and believes his successor Laurent Mekies has been thrust into a “difficult situation.”

Earlier this month, Red Bull dismissed Horner from his role as team principal and CEO of its Formula 1 outfit with immediate effect, despite the 51-year-old having previously signed a long-term contract by the late Dietrich Mateschitz.

Horner’s exit marked the culmination of a turbulent 18-month period, during which his position came under scrutiny following a formal complaint from a female employee over inappropriate behaviour.

Monaghan, a close confidant of Horner, joined Red Bull alongside him at the team’s inception in 2005. The British engineer said he was caught off guard by the announcement and paid tribute to the man who led Red Bull to eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships over two decades.

“To tell the truth, it was a shock to me. Sad,” he told the media including Crash.net. “Christian has put a large chunk of his working life into the team, and altogether as a team, we’ve enjoyed a huge amount of success, perhaps unwarranted to some views.

“But anyway. What is done is done. So thank you to Christian for everything he did, personally for me and for this team.”

Horner’s role will be taken over by Mekies, who had been in charge of Racing Bulls since the start of the 2024 season.

Mekies’ promotion comes at a time when Red Bull is reeling from a competitive slide in performance, while simultaneously devoting a lot of resources on building a new car and power unit for the 2026 regulations.

Monaghan feels Mekies is the right person to lead Red Bull, but thinks he faces a tough challenge to put everything back in order. 

“Laurent’s got a difficult situation to be dropped in,” he said. “I’ve known him for many years. Very personable. Smart chap.

“So now it’s up to us to pull together as a team, because nine other teams can’t wait to fight us. So if we’re going to stand up to them, we’re going to have to stand as a team.

“We are prepared to stand as a team. Laurent is doing his utmost to ensure that is what we are aiming to do. And yeah, we’ll do so.”