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Newsweek
27-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Martin Brundle Offers Real Reason Behind Horner's Red Bull Axe
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. During the Belgian Grand Prix, Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle gave his final verdict on the departure of Christian Horner from Red Bull. Horner was axed after serving in the team principal role for several years. He served for more than 20 years as the leading figure at Red Bull, but ultimately reached the end of his tenure with the team. Red Bull decided to do so after struggling over the last year and a half, both on and off the track. Power struggles plagued the team over the past year and eventually brought them undone. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing speaks with Team Principal Christian Horner and Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle inside the Red Bull hospitality suite during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand... Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing speaks with Team Principal Christian Horner and Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle inside the Red Bull hospitality suite during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 15, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. More Photo byIt has been days since the move occurred, but the exact reason for the decision remains unclear. In an attempt to summarize the situation, Brundle offered his take on what had happened, which led to such a successful team removing their leader. He suggested the split came down to a power struggle over Red Bull's commercial control: "It was about the management in Austria wanting to take back the commercial side of it," Brundle said on the Sky broadcast. "Christian didn't want to let that go because he felt in the round that drivers, cost cap, sponsors, the employment of people was all one big story that he wanted to keep hold of. So they have made that decision. "Presumably, Max could have, if he had wanted to, stop it from happening. He either chose not to or couldn't. I'm going to assume he chose not to stop Christian being let go. But they are where they find themselves today. "They have an expression 'it's all about the can' and they felt that they want to do something with Red Bull going forward. Maybe it was a bit too much about Christian and not enough about Red Bull, I'll wait to see what they say about that." Horner oversaw a run of championships with Red Bull, giving Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen title-winning cars and well-oiled support. Verstappen is the reigning four-time champion, and although he will relinquish that mantle this season, Horner built the team around the Dutch driver. He was given complete support from Horner's team. However, their relationship had grown sour over the last few years, as Verstappen felt his thoughts on the car were disregarded and Horner became embroiled in a massive scandal. The British team principal leaves a legacy of success and controversy, but the results bear out that he is one of the best Formula 1 leaders in history. More news: Emotional Kimi Antonelli Opens Up About Confidence Struggles At Belgian GP Lewis Hamilton Issues Apology After Rough Belgium GP Weekend Max Verstappen Issues RB21 Verdict After Red Bull Upgrades at Belgium GP For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Newsweek
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Brundle Reveals Tensions Behind Horner's Departure: "Things Were Not Rosy"
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In a complete bombshell, Red Bull Racing fired team principal Christian Horner on Wednesday after a disappointing first half of the 2025 Formula 1 season. The firing completely shook up the paddock. By all accounts, no one expected Red Bull to axe Horner, much less in the middle of the season. The energy-drink racing team nevertheless made the bold decision and is moving on from the team's only leader since it was created. The news left Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle in shock and awe: Oracle Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner and Commentator Martin Brundle chat in the paddock prior to qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 23, 2024... Oracle Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner and Commentator Martin Brundle chat in the paddock prior to qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 23, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia More Photo by"I think it's completely out of the blue, given things that are going on and the sort of problems in the team, words you're getting out of Team Verstappen and others," Brundle said on a broadcast. "I'm quite sad about it, if I'm honest. I consider Christian a friend and he's done an incredible job there for 20 years, won an awful lot of races and world championships for drivers and for the team, and he took it from what was the Stewart team through Jaguar and it was struggling to a massive campus in Milton Keynes and an awful lot of success and a huge trophy cabinet. "But it's not been difficult to feel in the Formula One paddock and to observe and to hear that things were not particularly rosy." With Horner out of the picture for Red Bull, questions still remain regarding the team's future direction. Max Verstappen could leave for Mercedes, or the team could convince him to stay. The energy drink company chose Laurent Mekies as the new team principal, but his inexperience in the role makes him a dubious long-term solution for a high-profile team. There are several factors that may have played a role in Horner's exit, but the team's declining results and inner-team turmoil likely played the biggest role in his departure. Horner's reign over Red Bull is filled with controversies regarding his statements and actions. Last year, he was accused of misconduct by another Red Bull employee, though he managed to keep his position, and things appeared to be heading back to normal. As the season has gone on, Red Bull's cracks have started to show as a team. The RB-21 is filled with driveability issues, which are leading to Verstappen struggling to stay in the title race. The team's higher-ups held a crisis meeting during the first half of the season to address the car and the team's issues, but since then, the inconsistencies have continued. For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
The National
16-03-2025
- Automotive
- The National
F1 Australian GP
Race winner Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren waves from the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park on March 16, 2025. Getty Images
Boston Globe
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
A new Formula One season dawns — and change is at the wheel
How did driver lineups change this offseason? Hamilton joined Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, pushing Leclerc's former teammate Carlos Sainz to Williams, where the Spaniard will pair with Alex Albon. Hamilton's departure led Mercedes to promote 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli to fill his seat alongside George Russell. Advertisement Antonelli, a former Formula Two standout, is one of six drivers gearing up for their first full season in F1. Others include Liam Lawson (replacing Sergio Pérez at Red Bull), Haas's Oliver Bearman (replacing Kevin Magnussen) and Jack Doohan of Alpine, who replaced Esteban Ocon (now Bearman's new teammate at Haas). Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up At Sauber, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are out, replaced by reigning F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg. The 2024 F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar will team with Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, Red Bull's sister team, replacing Daniel Ricciardo. McLaren's constructors' title-winning duo featuring Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Aston Martin's pairing of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll remain unchanged. Second placed qualifier and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia (left) and Pole position qualifier Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren are seen during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 15. Mark Thompson/Getty How will Hamilton fare at Ferrari? With Hamilton's move to Ferrari, which was announced in February 2024, one of the sport's biggest stars signed to join its most storied team. The expectations are high, and Hamilton is considered by some observers to be a preseason favorite for the drivers' title. Still, the 40-year-old finished a spot behind former teammate George Russell last year in seventh place, and Mercedes continued its struggles in recent years to compete at the very top. Hamilton has been optimistic in his early months with Ferrari, telling reporters, 'This is the most positive feeling that I've had in a long time.' Though he was limited during last month's preseason test in Bahrain, he said Ferrari feels like a title-winning team. Advertisement '[McLaren] look really quick, really competitive,' Hamilton said. 'We won't know obviously until next week truly, exactly where we stand, but we know that we've got work to do and everyone is just heads down and I've been really inspired and really encouraged by my colleagues.' Can anyone stop Max Verstappen? Verstappen won four of the first five races of 2024 and appeared on pace for Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares for qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia. Mark Thompson/Getty Norris enters this season with high expectations and is the betting favorite to win the drivers' title. Meanwhile, after Verstappen and Red Bull worked through an underwhelming preseason test, their issues continued into the practice sessions heading into Sunday's race. Verstappen admitted they weren't the quickest and later cited 'hard to fix' tire grip issues. 'Like, no massive or major problems,' he said Friday. 'But somehow the grip was not coming alive and just struggling on all four tires, really, in sector one and the last sector. That means of course that we are not really up there at the moment.' Favored behind Norris are Verstappen, Leclerc, then Hamilton. Oddsmakers are less kind to Piastri and Russell. Who impressed during preseason testing? Yes, preseason test results are known to offer an unreliable picture of the true competitiveness of the field because of a variety of variables. Still, McLaren left Bahrain as the consensus front-runner following its showings across three days late last month. Advertisement Norris and Piastri's average lap times during their respective race simulations provide one measure that buoys those beliefs. The McLaren was notably faster across both sims, suggesting the team's rise since the midway point of the 2023 season may continue into 2025. Ferrari and Mercedes produced strong showings, an encouraging sign for the latter given its struggles since F1's ground-effect car regulations were introduced in 2022. Further back, Williams appears hopeful to jump from the back to the middle of the pack. For his part, Hamilton left Bahrain ranked second on the overall time sheets, just behind Sainz. Carlos Sainz of Spain driving the Williams FW47 Mercedes on track during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia. Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Are there any major regulation changes in 2025? In the chase for championship points, a driver who ran the fastest lap and finished in the top 10 in a race was awarded one point. It was a potentially valuable source of scoring in a close title chase, but it also became a tool of gamesmanship late in races. That point will no longer be rewarded in 2025, though the rest of the points scoring system remains unchanged. Another noticeable change concerns the Monaco Grand Prix, which has been criticized for its processional, sometimes uncompetitive races. In 2025, the race drivers will be mandated to make two pit stops – erasing the typical one-stop strategy. For more sweeping changes, look ahead to 2026, when major shifts in the sport's regulations will take effect. Those revisions demand lighter vehicles, altered power units and a new aerodynamics system. How many races will take place in the US? The 2025 calendar features 24 Grands Prix from March through December, with three races in the United States, as was the case last season. F1 heads back to Miami for its sixth race of the season May 4. It returns to Austin for the US Grand Prix on Oct. 19, then circles back a month later for the Nov. 22 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Advertisement For what it's worth, no American is set to race in F1 this season. Former Williams driver Logan Sargeant competed in 2023 and 2024, but lost his seat midway through last year.
