Although Christian Horner's position in the Red Bull Racing ecosystem is decidedly prominent, the well-known story that has made his presence in the team's future programs a question mark seems to be part of an even larger conflict.
A plot in which a thorny and still top-secret affair intertwines, the redistribution of power which until 2022 (the year of his death) was in the hands of Dietrich Mateschitz, and a relationship that has always been close (that between Helmut Marko, Jos and Max Verstappen) became even more robust in the second half of 2023.
Thinking that the Red Bull leaders are only focused on analyzing the Horner affair risks being reductive. The plot is broader, and day after day one of the rumors gathered immediately after the case broke out takes shape, namely that whatever the final decision made regarding the matter, the Red Bull Racing organization chart is destined to be affected.
Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull Racing under accusation
Photo by: FIA Pool
The scenario is easy to imagine if Horner were to be removed from the team. First aspect: there will not be a new Horner, partly because the figure of the founder cannot be replicated, but above all because boards of directors do not like strong leadership. As long as you win you don't change, but if the opportunity presents itself… then you take action by fragmenting responsibilities.
If Horner is defeated in this affair, it will seem like a victory for the Austrian faction (where the leading figures are those of Oliver Mintzlaff and Mike Mateschitz, son of the late Dietrich) over the Thai side which sees Chalerm Yoovidhya, son of Mateschitz's late partner, at the helm which holds 51% of the group that produces the famous energy drink.
Horner has a direct relationship with Yoovidhya, and this may also have been a source of resentment on the part of the Austrian faction. In the summer of 2022 the current Red Bull team principal met with Yoovidhya expressing his doubts about the possible partnership with Porsche (supported in Austria) because it would have put the team's historic independence at risk. And he won.
Today in the paddock a scenario without Horner is considered more likely than one with Horner. If, however, the current team principal were to be confirmed in his role, it will be interesting to define the faces of the defeated faction. It certainly did not go unnoticed that the media capable of revealing the most detailed details of the Horner affair were Dutch and German.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
The connection is all too simple (too much, for some) but the reality does not necessarily have to be complex. At the presentation of the RB20 there was a great effort to try to convey an air of unity between the team principal and Max Verstappen, but will it really be like this?
Last autumn Max himself came out in defense of Helmut Marko with the motto “you can't change a winning team”. All correct, but also a confirmation of the strong relationship that binds Verstappen to the Austrian consultant, i.e. the person who in 2014 offered him the opportunity to begin his splendid journey in Formula 1.
With Dietrich Mateschitz at the helm there were no cracks, the figure of the boss was the glue that guaranteed stability, but after his death critical issues emerged linked to pebbles left in the shoes for a long time and probably also career ambitions.
If the counterpart in this saga really also involves the figure of Max Verstappen, Horner's fate seems even more at risk. Of course, he would mean increasing the world champion's power within the team even further, an aspect that in the short term is perhaps the least traumatic solution, but in the long term it appears to be a scenario not without unknowns.
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