Red Bull left ‘in a real tight spot’ after Christian Horner departure – Palmer

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer said the “suddenness” of Christian Horner’s Red Bull departure “caught everyone off guard,” and leaves the team “in a real tight spot.”

Horner was relieved of his duties as CEO and team principal of Red Bull last week, with Racing Bulls team boss Laurent Mekies elevated to take on the mantle in his place.

Palmer: Christian Horner exit ‘leaves Red Bull in a real tight spot’

Horner’s departure has been much-discussed since its confirmation, with Mekies having set out his early priorities to get to know his new colleagues and take on their ideas.

This change marks a significant shift for the team, with Horner having been in charge since Red Bull’s arrival in Formula 1 in 2005.

Former Renault driver Palmer acknowledged there is a “big job” ahead for Mekies in his new role, given how it is a “different beast” to managing Racing Bulls.

“Yeah, I mean, surprised at the timing,” Palmer said of Horner’s exit on the F1 Nation podcast.

“I think there’s been a lot of fallout at Red Bull [over] the last 18 months, so there have been many, many high-profile names leaving the team, including Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley.

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“I think there was a sense that, with things falling away this year, Christian was under pressure. But I completely agree that the timing and the suddenness of this post-Silverstone, I think it’s caught everyone off guard, and I feel like it leaves Red Bull in a real tight spot as well in terms of, obviously, Laurent [Mekies] stepping up. But it’s a big job for him, because Red Bull is such a different beast to the B team.”

Horner’s departure is the latest in a string of senior staff moves at Red Bull in the past year-and-a-half, with Newey having headed to Aston Martin, sporting director Wheatley becoming Sauber team principal, and chief engineering officer, Rob Marshall, moved to McLaren.

Palmer pointed out that, with big changes on the way in becoming a factory power unit supplier in 2026 and the need to produce a “drivable” car, this could be a case of “tough timing” for Mekies to take on the role.

“Because of all the success that Red Bull have had, and very recently, the way the wheels have fallen off the wagon, it’s been pretty extreme, given there’s been no major overhaul of regulations that we’ve seen in the past to take over what is an established front-running team,” Palmer explained.

“Without Max, at the moment, they’re tailenders. So to try and work out how to make the car drivable, then put the right drivers in, is a really big undertaking.

“Then you’ve got the [Red Bull] Powertrains as well, that’s on the other side of it, which is on the horizon for next year, which is a major unknown for the whole team.

“They’ve got such a good working relationship as well with Honda, that they’ve had for such a long time, and they’ve been really competitive with it. So that’s just something else that’s a risk for them and tough timing, probably, for Laurent.”

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