F1 legend Martin Brundle warns of major change in ‘politics’ at Red Bull

Martin Brundle speaks into a Sky Sports microphone as Christian Horner looks on glumly wearing headphones — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull

Martin Brundle warns of major change in ‘politics’ at Red Bull

Red Bull is a changed team after their recent shock switch in leadership

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 29 July 2025 18:58

Red Bull should be prepared for major changes following the departure of Christian Horner according to Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle.

The F1 legend reacted to Horner’s departure during live coverage of the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, where he admitted his surprise over the decision and revealed changes that will likely take place at the team as a result.

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Brundle emphasised that while Horner was very much a political beast in F1, new boss Laurent Mekies would be taking an entirely different approach with Red Bull.

"There’s no Christian Horner, no Adrian Newey, no Jonathan Wheatley… what a seat change it’s been there of key personnel," Brundle said.

"Laurent [Mekies] is a smart guy, diligent, hard-working, he’ll play a completely different role to what Christian [Horner] did.

"I can’t imagine him doing the politics, or if you think back to some of the pit wall shouting at the race director when they were able to do that, really fighting those political corners, that’s not going to happen anymore, it’s a different deal now."

"The teams are so big and we’re seeing it up and down the pit lane now, this is how they’re structuring themselves, much more departmentalised, if you like, rather than one person overseeing it."

Christian Horner and Laurent Mekies have differing leadership styles according to Martin Brundle

How will Horner’s exit shape Red Bull?

The politics mentioned by Brundle relates to circumstances such as those on show during the 2021 title battle, where at the finale in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull petitioned race director Michael Masi for one more lap of racing - the final lap which granted Max Verstappen his maiden championship victory.

While teams are no longer allowed direct communication with the race director, the team's antics in 2021 represent the figure Horner was at Red Bull, a boss not afraid to shout loud to further the success of his team.

Mekies on the other hand, comes from the engineering side of F1, serving as Toro Rosso’s chief engineer and working as a race engineer prior to his leadership role.

At Ferrari, Mekies honed his skills as sporting director and deputy team principal, before taking on the main role at Racing Bulls prior to his recent promotion.

The appointment of Mekies reflects Red Bull's desire to return the team into championship contention and improve the car's performance, after Verstappen slipped a further 81 points behind Oscar Piastri in the standings at Spa.

Red Bull finds itself a much changed outfit in 2025 having lost stalwarts such as Horner, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley in the space of a year, with the future of the team heading into uncharted territory.

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