Red Bull staff left dumbfounded after unhappy Marko and Mintlzaff comments

08:03, 21 Jul

Updated: 10:30, 21 Jul

byTobia Elia

According to British media reports, some members of the Red Bull team were left dumbfounded after hearing comments from Helmut Marko and Oliver Mintzlaff following the dismissal of Christian Horner and two other senior figures.

Christian Horner may have made plenty of enemies in the paddock and even within his own team, but some of his loyal supporters inside the Red Bull staff reportedly didn’t take the news of his dismissal well — especially in light of how Helmut Marko and Oliver Mintzlaff allegedly handled delivering the news.

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Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko

Red Bull staff mad at Marko and Mintzlaff

That’s according to The Sun, which reports that the Austrian advisor simply told the staff to “smile more.”

“It was only a day after Christian was sacked and a lot of the team were still upset when Mr Marko addressed us,'' a female Red Bull worker reportedly told the British newspaper.

“But he just made a joke of it and told us to cheer up. He said, ‘You need to smile more’. It didn’t endear him to anyone as what is there to smile about?”

Alongside Christian Horner, Chief Marketing Officer Oliver Hughes and Director of Communications Paul Smith have also left Red Bull with immediate effect—another development that has reportedly left staff confused and deeply unsettled.

In particular, another comment from the Austrian manager about the departure of the two executives reportedly left another employee stunned: ''Mintzlaff also said, ‘If you have any problems, just text your line manager’.

“Then he added, ‘Oh, and if you don’t have a line manager any more, just text me!’ and started laughing.”

The former Red Bull Team Principal, as revealed in a leaked video online over a week ago, gathered all the staff at Milton Keynes for what turned out to be his farewell speech.

"I was informed by Red Bull that operationally I would no longer be involved with the business or the team moving forward,'' he said.

"I will still remain employed by the company, but, operationally the baton will be handed over. It came as a shock to myself.''

''I've had a chance to reflect over the last 12 hours and wanted to stand in front of all of you to break this news and to express my gratitude to each and every single member of the team that has given so much during the last 20-and-a-half years.''

"When I arrived 20 years ago, there were a few less grey hairs. I walked into a team and did not know what to expect but I was immediately welcomed and we started to build what became a powerhouse in F1. Watching and being part of this team, has been the biggest privilege of my life."