F1 | Horner case: silence testifies to the complexity of the decision

These are very long days at Red Bull. The Horner affair is the strongest management earthquake that has ever hit the Milton Keynes team since the Formula 1 program started in 2005, and the passing of the days bears witness to this. If it had been another corporate figure who had come under the spotlight, the verdict would have already been written, but in this case it is the team principal and CEO of the team.

Whoever will be called upon to express a judgment on the matter will not be able to fail to take into account the repercussions that the structure would suffer in the event of Horner's removal, so it will not be just the weight of the accusation that will determine the final decision.

English sources have indicated the location of the meeting between Horner, his lawyers and the Red Bull counterpart (scheduled today) in a neutral location, probably in central London, far from the Milton Keynes headquarters.

There is much more at stake than meets the eye. In the last two years in Formula 1 he has witnessed a waltz of team principals, with eight changes, but in Horner's case it is a figure of a very different magnitude. The first aspect to consider is the dual role that he holds, given that he also holds the position of CEO, with extended control over the new Red Bull Powertrain program as well.

If we talk about Formula 1, Horner is Red Bull. The headquarters in Austria are also aware of this, and it is not surprising that after an initial phase in which the fate of the team principal now seemed compromised, the brakes were pulled a bit.

The strength of the Milton Keynes team has always been the group, a compact front in which Horner has historically been the most effective glue. This is why today thinking about the team without him can be a cause for reflection. Many technicians were contacted and convinced to join the team by Horner himself, and he was always the lightning rod in moments of difficulty.

In the twenty years since its foundation, Red Bull Racing has taken on its character. “When I started working in the role of team principal – Horner explained to Motorsport.com last November – I always tried to shape the team I would have liked to have as a driver. I have been here since the beginning, I built this team and I feel a great responsibility towards the people who make it up, the shareholders and all the partners we have. And finally I don't believe much in change, I think stability is tremendously important.”

There are four figures considered fundamental in the record-breaking Red Bull seen in the 2021 season: Max Verstappen, Adrian Newey, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. If, however, two people were to be selected in order of importance, for many insiders (in some cases even within Red Bull itself) the tandem of excellence would be composed of Horner and Verstappen.

Removing Horner means running the risk of breaking a perfect mechanism, because if it is true that no one is irreplaceable, it is also true that whoever should eventually fill the role of the current team principal will need at least a year to be fully operational.

Jonathan Wheatley, on the right, could be Horner's replacement in managing the team.

Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images

For this reason, in the event of Horner's departure, the first decision would probably be an internal promotion, with current team manager Jonathan Wheatley in charge of taking the team forward on the operational front.

However, all the duties of the CEO role would remain uncovered, including those of the delicate powertrain department. A significant headache, moreover just a few weeks before the start of an intense season in which the two world titles won in 2023 will have to be defended on the track and during which the first power unit 'made in Red Bull' will see the light.

There are many scenarios on the horizon, very different from each other. A decision destined to change the history of the team with the removal of the team principal, an archiving of the case with the confirmation of full powers, and finally a middle ground, with Horner confirmed but forced to leave something on the field for his opponents interior.

The only certainty is that at Red Bull it will be a very different start to the world championship compared to the premises, not so much on the technical front but in the atmosphere that will be experienced in Milton Keynes and in the garage on the track. Then, as always, Formula 1 will force us to look ahead, there will be some aftermath but everything will become a past event that will be remembered with a few jokes and little more.