Red Bull boss admits ‘open secret’ of distractions at F1 team

Red Bull chief Oliver Mintzlaff has admitted the internal struggles at the team over the last two years, which resulted in losing a number of major figures, were a significant distraction.

Adrian Newey was the first big name to depart in the summer of 2024, announcing his exit ahead of a crucial period for car design ahead of the 2026 regulation changes (oh no!), before long-time team principal Christian Horner was deposed around six months ago.

Senior advisor Helmut Marko's departure was also confirmed after the last race of the 2025 season in Abu Dhabi, completing the dismantling of a power trio who had been together for all but one of the team's seasons in F1 before Newey's departure.

The last 24 months turned the team into something of a circus, with Max Verstappen even considering his future as the team's management structure crumbled around him.

Mintzlaff: Red Bull had too many issues

The former CEO of Bundesliga team RB Leipzig told De Telegraaf: "You know, Formula 1 isn't that different from football or any other sport in that respect. When people get distracted, they lose their focus.

"Then it doesn't matter if you have the eleven best players. Or the best driver in the world, like Max Verstappen. When people are distracted and lose their focus, you're not going to perform at your best as a team.”

He added: “It was an open secret that there were too many issues within and around the team. That is distracting.”

However, a late-season resurgence in the post-Horner months seems to have brought positivity back to the Red Bull garage, with Verstappen almost completing an historic championship comeback at the end of the season.

“In recent months," Mintzlaff said, "we have seen that performance improves when everyone is fully focused. Even without the best car, Max almost became champion and won the most races of anyone this year.”

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