Ralf Schumacher identifies why 'Red Bull pulled the plug' after shocking Horner's sacking

08:49, 10 Jul

Updated: 09:43, 10 Jul

byTobia Elia

Ralf Schumacher has also weighed in on Christian Horner’s shocking departure from Red Bull, offering his take on the reasons behind the Milton Keynes team’s decision to part ways with him after twenty years of remarkable success.

Several hours have now passed since the shocking announcement confirmed what had already surfaced earlier in the day—Christian Horner’s immediate dismissal—but the news is still making major waves across the paddock.

Many within the paddock have spoken out about the possible reasons behind the Thai ownership, led by Chalerm Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz—son of the company’s Austrian co-founder—deciding to part ways with the British team principal.

Ralf Schumacher reacts to Horner's dismissal

Among them was Ralf Schumacher, who, writing for Sky Deutschland, shared his thoughts on Horner’s departure: "Basically, you have to say that Christian Horner had an incredibly successful time with Red Bull , 20 years, and won many titles.''

''So, I have great respect for his achievements, but of course there was a big personal issue in recent years – from then on, the whole issue became a bit cumbersome and many people left the team, and Christian Horner simply wasn't able to rebuild the team or recruit new people. So it was time.''

''Anyone who is in the paddock and knows their way around also knows how they are viewed there. In the end, it really was the case that they were no longer able to attract or retain good people. They simply didn't want to come because of his personality. I think that's why Red Bull pulled the plug in the end."

When asked what might have driven Red Bull to take such a drastic turn, the former German driver gave a blunt response: "Simply the lack of success. He restructured everything, made someone new the number 1, and accepted the fact that Adrian Newey would leave the team because he believed he could do better in that constellation, and he didn't succeed.''

''In the end, things are going backwards at Red Bull. Max Verstappen is about to leave. Sure, Max Verstappen managed to put the car on pole position thanks to his driving performance, but the car is so heavy, so sharp to drive, that he was nowhere to be found in the rain.''

''Red Bull recognized this and said: "We have to find a new way." Incidentally, they also found a great replacement.''

According to Schumacher, Horner’s leadership style ultimately led Red Bull to lose its original identity over the years: ''One mustn't forget, Red Bull was always the young, likeable team, a bit of a revolutionary team, right at the beginning: with parties, with completely different things. That's been lost a bit with Christian Horner, who has a rather different leadership style."