'Controversial' Christian Horner set for 'Red Bull role review'

Christian Horner

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'Controversial' Christian Horner set for 'Red Bull role review'

Red Bull's second seat saga has prompted criticism

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 30 March 2025 10:57

Ralf Schumacher has claimed that Christian Horner’s role at Red Bull should be 'under review' in a recent discussion where he also labelled the team principal as ‘controversial’.

Red Bull’s management have had a tough decision to make in the past week, following Liam Lawson’s dismal start to the 2025 season where he picked up zero points in the past two grands prix.

The team opted to replace the 23-year-old with Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese Grand Prix onwards, with Lawson returning to Racing Bulls.

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However, Schumacher proceeded to blast the team’s management of the issue, taking to the German Sky F1 podcast Backstage Pit Lane to criticise the decisions of Horner and his F1 advisor Helmut Marko.

"Marko had made a ‘misjudgement’ with his decision in favour of Lawson and against Yuki Tsunoda as Verstappen's team-mate and ‘is now coming under a bit of internal pressure again.

"Now this whole, I'll call it a headless bunch, is ‘firefighting’ in every corner. If you think about where Red Bull was and where they are now, I wouldn't want to know what company founder Dietrich Mateschitz would have said," Schumacher stated.

Are Red Bull in crisis after driver swap?

Schumacher also added that Horner’s position as team principal could be under review, however this remains the pundit’s opinion rather than fact.

Despite these comments Red Bull have no official plans to review the management structure within the team who have brought multiple world titles over the years, with Max Verstappen currently second in the drivers’ standings despite their current woes.

Nevertheless, Schumacher added: "I don't think any stone will be left unturned at the end of the day. Horner is controversial. He simply hasn't managed to hold this combination of success together at Red Bull and stop these currents with these personal sensitivities.

"These ultimately led to Adrian Newey and other important people leaving the team. Now he's going to pay the price for it. It's going to be a huge problem."

Adrian Newey now serves as Aston Martin’s managing technical partner, following his exit from Red Bull in 2024 after nearly two decades with the team.

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Red Bull Christian Horner Helmut Marko Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson Japanese Grand Prix