Christian Horner's F1 axe criticised for causing 'chaos'

Red Bull

Christian Horner axe criticised for causing 'chaos'

Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull last year

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 3 January 2026 09:41

Former F1 star Ralf Schumacher has said that not sacking Christian Horner sooner led to 'chaos' at Red Bull.

Horner had been the team principal at the Milton Keynes-based outfit for 20 years, winning six constructors' titles in that time, but was axed last July with the team sat down in fourth in the constructors' standings.

At that stage, it was looking highly unlikely that star driver Max Verstappen would be able to challenge for a record-equalling fifth world championship title, but following the arrival of Laurent Mekies as team principal, the team's form picked up.

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Verstappen won six of the last nine grands prix of the season, and came within just two points of eventual champion Lando Norris.

Former motorsport advisor Helmut Marko recently said that, had the decision to sack Horner have been made earlier, Verstappen would have had more of a chance of winning the title.

And now Schumacher seems to agree, suggesting that there was 'chaos' at Red Bull following the start of the year under Horner.

"It was clear to see what happened at Red Bull," Schumacher told Sport1. "Dr Marko himself mentioned it: the decision to send Christian Horner home was made too late. This led to a long period of chaos until the car was back in a condition that allowed Max to win with it.

"But what has come out of it is remarkable: a real unity, especially with Laurent Mekies and the engineering team around Verstappen. Max is someone who can get an extremely lot out of a car - you could see that in comparison to Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson.

"But it was still a tremendous team effort, and that changed Max. He gained this added bonus, this ability and aura that Michael also had: to unite, lead and inspire a team around him. Having people who would walk through fire for you is crucial. Max now has this Michael gene too."

Will Red Bull be more competitive in 2026?

Horner, Marko, Jonathan Wheatley and design legend Adrian Newey have all now departed the team who were so dominant in 2022 and 2023.

Red Bull are hoping to keep Verstappen for as long as possible given he is the most sought after name of his generation, and one way in which they are hoping to do that is by creating a new era at Red Bull, one that they very much want him to guide.

The fact that Yuki Tsunoda only managed 30 points across 22 race weekends in 2025 in the same car as Verstappen shows the importance of the Dutchman to the Milton Keynes-based outfit, and there's no doubt that they will be doing everything in their power to keep him.

Red Bull will be hoping that Verstappen, too, is excited by the new project, particularly with the team set to supply themselves with power units from the 2026 season onwards, in partnership with Ford.

Mekies' number one priority in 2026 will be to prove to Verstappen that they are the team with whom he can claim more world championships with in the future.

F1 Red Bull Christian Horner Laurent Mekies