When Max Verstappen found himself over 100 points behind first place in the standings, few expected he could impose himself in the Championship battle.
Fast-forward to the season finale, and the Dutchman was only two points away from claiming a fifth world title.
Red Bull’s late comeback can be heavily attributed to Laurent Mekies, who replaced Christian Horner as team principal before the Belgian GP. Mekies’ appointment came in the aftermath of an extensive period of instability within the Milton Keynes outfit.
In a recent interview with De Limburger, Helmut Marko gave scathing criticisms about Christian Horner’s final months with the team.
Helmut Marko reveals extent of Red Bull infighting under Christian Horner
Red Bull’s dominance in 2022 and 2023 transformed into a tense and chaotic environment in the early months of 2024.
Allegations about Christian Horner’s workplace conduct created a huge rift in the team, with Jos Verstappen – Max’s father – even calling for Horner to resign and accusing the 52-year-old of tearing the team apart.
Adrian Newey’s departure came only a few months later, an exit often attributed to Red Bull’s internal power struggle.
To some extent, Verstappen’s Championship triumph managed to calm down the tensions behind the scenes. But this does not mean they went away, and the early months of 2025 proved this.
In what came as something of a surprise, Horner was dismissed in July. A combination of factors, but not least the internal divisions at Milton Keynes created by his controversy, are understood to have been decisive.
According to Helmut Marko, however, Horner’s presence was damaging to Max Verstappen’s 2025 title campaign.
As quoted by nu.nl, the 82-year-old accused the former Red Bull team principal of disrupting the team’s season:
“When ‘Didi’ [Mateshitz, former Red Bull owner] died, Horner did everything he could to take over with the support of Chalerm Yoovidhya.
“On behalf of Austria, I did everything I could to prevent that.
“We had to do something because our on-track performance was lagging. If we had done that sooner, we would have gotten back on track faster this year, and Max would have become World Champion. I’m absolutely convinced of that.
“We were increasingly able to demonstrate that Horner was lying about everything and anything. Once Chalerm realized this, he came to his senses.”
A new chapter with Laurent Mekies
Helmut Marko’s recently confirmed departure draws a line in the sand for the old guard at Red Bull. The senior figures who once formed a title-winning organisation are out of the team.
Jonathan Wheatley, Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have all walked away from the Austrian team over the last eighteen months.
This means Laurent Mekies is tasked with rebuilding the team and leading them in this transition. This challenge is further complicated by Red Bull debuting their own engine for the 2026 regulations.
Transforming a customer team into a manufacturer is one of the most demanding processes in Formula 1. Rather than benefiting from an exclusive engine deal with Honda, as in 2019, the factory in Milton Keynes have assembled a new engine department from the ground up.
Because of this, there is genuine uncertainty about how Red Bull will perform next season. Mekies’ excellence is not in question, given how quickly he resurrected Red Bull’s season by introducing a series of operational adjustments.
Still, especially given Verstappen’s availability, 2026 is perhaps the most consequential season in the team’s recent history.
For various reasons, their performance over the next twelve months could transform their fortunes through until 2030.
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Main photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images (Red Bull Content Pool)