F1 paddock veteran opens up on the latest personnel reshuffle at Red Bull and Racing Bulls

Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane claimed that he made "many reactions" to the reshuffle at the Red Bull and Racing Bulls F1 teams in the last couple of weeks. The Austrian team shocked the world of motorsport at the end of the 2025 British Grand Prix, as they announced the exit of Christian Horner from the role of team principal and CEO.

Horner had been at the helm of the Milton-Keynes-based outfit since the start and had guided the Austrian team to multiple championships over his 20-year reign. The 51-year-old was replaced by Laurent Mekies, who has been impressive in his 18 months as team principal at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.

With Mekies moving to Red Bull, Racing Bulls appointed Alan Permane as his replacement for the remainder of the 2025 season. Speaking with Motorsport, in an exclusive interview, Permane gave his take on the reshuffle at the two teams and said:

"I had many reactions to the news: some shock, some pride. It's extraordinary that they believe I'm capable of leading this team. I deeply thank the Red Bull Austria management, Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko, and of course, Laurent for recommending me and supporting me. It's been a fantastic week. "The goal is to be at the top of the midfield teams. We're fully engaged in this fight and will continue to fight throughout the year. Laurent and Peter have done an exceptional job over the last 18 months, leading the team to significant growth. My intention is to provide continuity, keeping the team on the same trajectory."

Permane had previously served as the Racing Director of the Faenza-based outfit and worked at Renault for over 28 years in multiple roles.

McLaren CEO comments on Christian Horner's sacking from Red Bull

McLaren CEO Zak Brown stated that he was not surprised by Red Bull's decision to sack Christian Horner as its team principal and CEO, given the issues surrounding him over the last 18 months.

Speaking with TSN, the American reflected on the news and said:

“Maybe the timing, but not the result. I think there's been a lot of drama there the last couple of years, and it doesn't seem like that drama has been calming down - maybe been getting worse. "So, I'm not surprised; anytime in the middle of the season. But we're head down on our championship. They've got Max [Verstappen] still knocking on the door, so we've got to pay attention to that."

There had been internal conflicts at Red Bull since the start of the 2024 season, with the board appearing divided into several factions, which included Horner standing with the Yoovidhya family, Max Verstappen being with Marko, and the Austrian side led by Oliver Mintzlaff.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam