Red Bull warned: Horner's successor set to face a massive task

20:25, 28 Jul
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Last weekend marked Max Verstappen’s first race under new leadership, following the dismissal of Christian Horner. Laurent Mekies stepped in as team principal, and former F1 driver Christijan Albers has weighed in on the shake-up within Red Bull.

Albers was very clear in the podcast of De Telegraaf, the former F1 driver did not mince his words and saw difficulties for Mekies: ‘’All credit to Christian Horner, who has run a team for twenty years that is incredibly successful. But he (Mekies) is now inheriting a gigantic mess. That mess means: people who have walked away.’’

Verstappen Spa
Max Verstappen in Belgium, photo: Red Bull Contentpool

Albers was referring to a number of key figures who have left Red Bull over the years and according to him, it's not so easy to fix: ‘’Go and try attracting someone to get that commitment. That's not easy, right? If you want to take someone away, a natural talent who sit in certain departments.''

''Then you have the 'gardening-time', that also takes about half a year. So before you make an offer you are also three to five months down the road. And before he can start working, you also lose another six months, so like that six months are gone.’’

Red Bull confirms Max Verstappen's stay

Red Bull has landed the first blow. It was recently announced that Max Verstappen will stay with the team until 2026. Helmut Marko reported this on the website of Sport.de. However, confirmation from Verstappen is still awaited. GPblog have heard that clarity will only be given by Verstappen from the summer break onwards.