Main reason for Christian Horner’s shock Red Bull sacking revealed

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says the main reason for Christian Horner’s dismissal was down to performance.

Horner was sacked as team principal and CEO of Red Bull three days after the British Grand Prix in a move which stunned the F1 paddock.

Red Bull gave no reason for Horner’s removal, which came 18 months after he had been accused of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour by a female employee. Horner denied the allegations, which were dismissed by two separate internal investigations.

The end of Horner’s tenure coincided with huge uncertainty surrounding the future of star driver Max Verstappen amid a major performance drop off over the past year and a half, while Red Bull were also rocked by a wave of key staff exits.

Marko has confirmed Horner’s sacking was “the result of various factors” but was largely influenced by the team’s downturn in performance.

"The decision was made by the management - that is, Oliver Mintzlaff,” Marko told Sky Germany at the Belgian Grand Prix.

"We informed Christian Horner of it in London. At the same time, we officially thanked him for 20 years and eight world titles.

"It was the result of various factors. But primarily, performance was not quite where it should be.”

Mekies will give Red Bull ‘advantage’

Red Bull have promoted Laurent Mekies from sister team Racing Bulls to steer the ship following Horner’s departure.

Marko shed light on why Mekies was selected as Horner’s replacement, citing his vast technical knowledge and experience as being a key factor.

"Luckily, we were able to bring in Laurent Mekies from within the Red Bull family. His role will be significantly more focused - primarily on racing,” Marko explained.

"He's an excellent engineer, which is a good fit considering the complex technology in Formula 1.

"We've already seen that he communicates very well with the staff. We're hopeful that we can gradually return to the top.”

Marko added: “I believe that's definitely an advantage. Other teams have gone this route before us.

"Also, the scope of the role has been clearly reduced. The company has 2,000 employees. Mekies will mainly focus on the technical side and racing.

"Marketing, the RB17 project, or Powertrains are each handled by separate departments. So, he can dedicate his full energy to racing success."