Christian Horner has revealed that Red Bull shareholders and CEO Oliver Mintzlaff contacted him after Red Bull’s new Ford-powered Formula 1 engine secured its maiden Grand Prix victory in Malaysia. The former team principal also reflected on the engine project he helped establish, his abrupt dismissal in 2025 and the organisational changes that ultimately ended his 20-year spell with the team.
Key Highlights
Shareholders Thank Horner: The former Red Bull team principal received calls from the company’s shareholders and CEO Oliver Mintzlaff following the engine’s breakthrough victory.
A New Power Unit Era: Red Bull Powertrains was established after Honda announced its withdrawal from F1, with Ford joining the project for the 2026 season.
A Significant Milestone: Horner praised the team’s achievement in developing a competitive engine, highlighting the effort required to win a Grand Prix as a new manufacturer.
Horner Reflects on His Exit: The Briton said Red Bull’s leadership structure and direction changed following co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death in 2022, contributing to his departure in July 2025.
Horner Receives Call After Red Bull’s Engine Breakthrough
Christian Horner has revealed that Red Bull’s shareholders reached out to him after the team’s Ford-powered engine claimed its first Formula 1 victory in Malaysia. Horner joined Red Bull as team principal ahead of the 2005 season, following the company’s acquisition of Jaguar Racing. He was dismissed in July 2025 and replaced by Laurent Mekies.
During his two decades leading the team, Horner oversaw a highly successful period that delivered eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles. He also played a key role in Red Bull’s transition from an engine customer to a power unit manufacturer.
After Honda announced its withdrawal from Formula 1 in 2020, Red Bull established its own powertrain operation to secure its long-term future. The team continued using Honda power units until the end of 2025 before introducing its own engine, developed in partnership with Ford, for the 2026 season.
The new power unit secured its maiden victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix through Max Verstappen, who followed up with another win in Singapore a week later.
Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange in New York, Horner explained that Red Bull had already proved it could build a championship-winning chassis. The next challenge was to achieve the same success with its own engine.
“We needed to have an engine after Honda announced their withdrawal in 2020,” Horner said, explaining how Red Bull Powertrains was established to attract talented people, give them opportunities and encourage them to push technical boundaries.
He added that he was extremely proud to see how the engine had developed and performed during the 2026 season.
Shareholders Acknowledge Horner’s Role in the Project
Horner said the phone calls from Red Bull’s leadership were a welcome gesture, given the work and sacrifices involved in establishing the powertrain operation. He highlighted the achievement of winning a Grand Prix as a new engine manufacturer, praising the men and women responsible for bringing the project to fruition.
“For all the men and women involved, it was an incredible, incredible achievement,” he said, adding that it came on the engine’s 16th attempt to win a Grand Prix.
Horner also expressed gratitude to the shareholders who contacted him, along with Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, who called to thank him for his contribution. The exchange carried added significance because it contrasted sharply with their previous conversation, which had taken place around 15 months earlier and was connected to Horner’s dismissal.
Horner Describes His Red Bull Exit as “Abrupt” and “Brutal”
Despite his longstanding contribution to Red Bull’s success, Horner’s position became increasingly uncertain in the period before his departure.
Following the death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in late 2022, the organisation began to evolve. Horner acknowledged that the changes affected the team’s leadership structure and the degree of independence it had previously enjoyed at its Milton Keynes base.
Mateschitz had played a central role in Red Bull’s decision-making, and Horner believed replacing a figure of his influence was impossible. As the wider group changed, Horner observed a growing push to bring more control back to the company’s headquarters. He said this differed from the autonomy Red Bull Racing had previously enjoyed.
“I felt that things were changing,” Horner explained, noting that the organisation was moving in a different direction from the approach that had helped the team achieve its success.
He stressed that he did not necessarily view the changes as right or wrong, but felt they represented a different philosophy from the one that had guided Red Bull Racing for years. Ultimately, the diverging paths contributed to the end of his tenure in July 2025. Horner described the news as “pretty abrupt and quite brutal”.
A Lasting Legacy in Red Bull’s F1 Story
Horner’s departure marked the end of a major chapter in Red Bull’s Formula 1 history, but the team’s move into engine manufacturing remains a significant part of that legacy. The first victory for its Ford-powered power unit represented the culmination of years of work to build an independent engine programme following Honda’s withdrawal announcement.
For Horner, the recognition from Red Bull’s shareholders offered an opportunity to reflect on the project’s progress and the people who made it possible, even as he acknowledged the organisational changes that brought his own time at the team to an end.