Christian Horner dismisses any single cause for Red Bull’s recent departures, attributing the changes to the evolving budget cap landscape.
Red Bull has experienced a wave of departures this year, partly due to its strong performances and the appeal of its staff, but also related to the Horner affair, which tarnished the team’s reputation. However, Christian Horner insists that there isn’t a single reason behind this series of departures, and he explains Adrian Newey’s decision.
“It’s very easy to say this caused that, and that led to this. But the reality is, none of these things are related,” says Horner. “Adrian left the team at the end of 2023, and I believe he was increasingly unsettled in his mind.”
“The agreement we had was that by the end of 2025, he would step away from F1 and focus on being a mentor. Otherwise, I would have lost other technicians to rival teams. But I think he felt his time in F1 wasn’t over, and he made decisions for his own reasons, which are understandable.”
“The deal he secured with Aston, with shares and other incentives, was simply not something on offer here. I can understand Adrian wanting to take another shot at F1, and as a shareholder and partner in a team, I certainly don’t hold it against him.”
“But we live in a world where costs are capped, where F1 is very different from what it was five years ago, where 90% of our time is spent on the question: what can you afford to do within the cap?”
“With the $140 million you have to spend, every cent must be spent wisely. And of course, over the years, big teams sometimes accumulate a bit of excess. The cost cap has helped improve efficiency.”
But Newey wasn’t the only one to leave; Jonathan Wheatley, the future leader of Audi F1, also departed. Horner encouraged his sporting director to move on due to the budget cap: “It’s tough. Jonathan was a very good sporting director, but he was expensive. So, you have to weigh things up.”
“When he got the opportunity with Audi, we told him, ‘You should take this because of the regulations. We’re limited in what we can do for you here. So, if you have the chance to develop yourself and earn a lot more, go for it.'”
“Jonathan has been here a long time, and he had the chance to become a team principal. That opportunity didn’t arise here, and his role became increasingly one-dimensional as he was always away, always at a circuit. He moved on, and it allowed others to step up naturally. You have to know when to evolve.”
“It’s the same with Will Courtenay and strategy. He’s been here for 20 years. We discussed other roles within the group, but McLaren offered him a bigger role with a much higher salary, and at that point, you have to say, ‘Good luck. Go for it.'”
“But at the same time, it gives Hannah Schmitz the chance to step up. Without that opportunity, she would have been a prime target for someone else. In any organization, there are evolutions. We’ve had less than 5% turnover here, which shows the strong loyalty within the team.”
Horner points out that there have been many changes over the years within the team. According to him, these changes are natural, even though several people, including strategist Hannah Schmitz, have been there since the beginning.
“When I arrived here in 2005, we built a fantastic team. If I look at the design office, especially at the track, compared to when we were winning with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber between 2010 and 2013, I think only three people from the design office back then are still here, out of 25.”
“Paul Monaghan is still with us. Michael Manning is still with us and handles all the departures, and probably only Jonathan and Will were also there.”
“Hannah was a graduate from Cambridge at the time, but the rest of the team—the race engineers, the control engineers—everything evolves, and that’s what’s needed in any organization.”
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Red Bull Exits Unlinked, Horner Defends Amid Budget Cap Shift Red Bull Exits Unlinked, Horner Defends Amid Budget Cap Shift
