Ralf Schumacher claims Red Bull firing Christian Horner and replacing him with Laurent Mekies has positively transformed the team

Former F1 driver and pundit Ralf Schumacher claimed that Red Bull's firing of Christian Horner and replacing him with Laurent Mekies has positively transformed the team. The Brit was let go by the Austrian team at the end of the 2025 British Grand Prix, which marked the end of his 20-year reign as team principal and CEO.

The 51-year-old had been at the helm of the Milton Keynes-based outfit since they transformed from their Jaguar days and turned their fortunes around in the sport and became one of the most successful teams in F1's history.

Many were left surprised by the timing of the sacking and have been unable to pinpoint a reason for the firing. But while appearing on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, the former Williams F1 driver said that he believes that Christian Horner's sacking could have a positive impact on the outfit. He said (via Motorsport.com):

“I think Red Bull made an extremely good move. In this case, Oliver Mintzlaff and [Mark] Mateschitz by now putting Mekies in this position. That did something for the team. Within a short period of time, one hears that the mood is completely different, the approach is different. "There were internal problems with politics, and suddenly the mood wasn’t so good. So, from that point of view, I think it’s actually very, very open again. Such a development can happen quickly, and this feel-good factor for a driver is important. And this team is completely behind him.”

Laurent Mekies has replaced Christian Horner as the team principal and CEO for the remainder of the 2025 season.

---

Laurent Mekies comments on replacing Christian Horner at Red Bull

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies stated that he believed that no one could replace Christian Horner at the Austrian team given his footprint within the organization.

Speaking with Sky Sports, the Frenchman was asked if replacing Horner was similar to replacing Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, to which Mekies replied:

"Nobody can replace Sir Alex, and nobody can replace Christian. We are all different. I think what matters the most is that the group is unbelievable. What we want to do is get to understand well this group as much as one can, and create together the next small or big competitive advantage that we'll need to add up if we want to be back to fighting for wins and championships."

When speaking about the shock offer, he added:

"It came out of the blue at that moment for me. I had to think [about] it for a few hours,"

Laurent Mekies was previously the team principal of the VCARB F1 team since the start of the 2024 season and joined the Faenza-based outfit from Ferrari, where he served as the deputy team principal to Fred Vasseur.

Edited by Tushhita Barua