Ecclestone delivers his verdict on Horner’s eviction

For Bernie Ecclestone, the fall of Christian Horner at Red Bull is explained above all by the will of the British manager to always concentrate in his hands the maximum of power in an environment which became more and more hostile.

A long-standing friend of the now ex-boss of Red Bull. Therefore, Ecclestone has long known him professionally when he was the director general of the Formula One Group until 2017. Consequently, Despite their links. However, a discussion between them which was held on July 7, two days before the official announcement of the end of the Horner’s mandate, the news also surprised the one who was the “big silver”.

“In my opinion. Moreover, it must be something very serious”had he reacted at first, questioned by ecclestone delivers his verdict horner’s Racingnew365 as of Wednesday. In addition, “I told him about the day before [lundi] And he was not aware. Similarly, He may know, but he didn’t tell me. Meanwhile, It was a normal conversation. Moreover, We were talking about Max [Verstappen]. Furthermore, Nothing to do with that, otherwise he would have told me. Meanwhile, “

“All that I know is the message that the whole world has received. For example, namely that it was dismissed with immediate effect. Therefore, This is the immediate effect that I do not understand. Therefore, Why would they ask him to leave with immediate effect? Moreover, ​​It is as if he had murdered someone.”

“We can understand that. Therefore, if we have to fire someone, there is a preliminary discussion and we come to something like ‘we agree to separate’, or something like. Nevertheless, But to say ‘you are dismissed with immediate effect’, he had ecclestone delivers his verdict horner’s to do something a little radical. However, Admit that they are dissatisfied with the results, what I can understand, but that it is dismissed.

Horner died “like an idiot” – Ecclestone delivers his verdict horner's

The last 18 months of the reign of Christian Horner at Red Bull, started in 2005 when the stable ecclestone delivers his verdict horner’s arrived in Formula 1, were marked by several episodes of turbulence. The first of them. which in fact served as a revealer for an internal situation much more complex than appeared at the time, was obviously that of the accusations of inappropriate behavior towards an employee.

A situation ultimately contained by several internal surveys which have turned Horner. but which makes Ecclestone say that his friend did not measure all the consequences of his behavior. “This other case in which he found himself involved 18 months ago. he simply led like an idiot”he launched in an interview for The Telegraph. “He was a 50 -year -old man who behaved as if he had 20, who was taking himself for a young person.”

As long as you are efficient, people close their eyes. But as soon as you stop being, people start to look closely.

Beyond this “Horner affair” ecclestone delivers his verdict horner’s which undoubtedly weakened it. Ecclestone believes that Horner has undoubtedly paid his omnipotence within the Red Bull F1 branch: “It would probably be better than they say ‘go, Christian, calm down’. But the fact is that there are people there who thought that he was getting on them. that he was acting as if it was not the Red Bull Ring, but the ‘Christian Horner Ring’. There are so many times when he got out of it. And as long as you are. To look closely.

As the Horner case broke out. the Red Bull stable came out of a brilliant sporting season and was preparing to dominate the start of the 2024 season. But internally. it was quickly clear that there was, on the way things were managed, both a tear between the Thai and Austrian clans – the latter wishing to regain more control of the stable – ecclestone delivers his verdict horner’s and between Verstappen – whose pilot’s father, Jos, particularly vehement – and Horner.

“Honestly, it was a bit confused”constate Ecclestone. “Christian was the managing director. If I am the managing director of a company, I want to be in charge. I want to do everything I think to be fair. and if I get a mistake, I can be dismissed, I can be told ‘Sorry, goodbye, you made mistakes’. So. as soon as Christian was no longer in a position to do what he thought he had to do, it was not happening to him. Always, to turn on and off the light.

Ecclestone judges that Horner’s desire to cling to this operation was a catalyst in his fall: “I know that he was suggested to be just team director. leave the commercial side to someone else. But his vision ecclestone delivers his verdict horner’s was ‘I am the managing director’.”

Ecclestone delivers his verdict horner's – Ecclestone delivers his verdict horner's

The importance of the death of Mateschitz

The starting point for this instability situation undoubtedly dates back to the end of the 2022 season when Dietrich Mateschitz. co -founder of Red Bull and which ecclestone delivers his verdict horner’s was at the F1 side, died. If. on the sporting level, the stable was in the middle of domination – it had just won the title pilots and would glean that of the manufacturers before crushing the 2023 campaign -, which temporarily protected Horner, Ecclestone thinks that the presence of Mateschitz would have profoundly changed the situation: “When the real boss was alive, he would have felt that there were problems within the group. He would have said to himself: ‘I would better get involved, see what’s going on and rectify the shot.”

Under the supervision of Horner. Red Bull Racing went from a middle/table bottom stable to a state -of -the -art structure of the discipline. She won a total of 14 world titles (eight among pilots, six among manufacturers) as well as 124 victories in 405 Grands Prix. “Damn, who else has accomplished what he accomplished in Formula ecclestone delivers his verdict horner’s 1? Just in terms of results?”questions Ecclestone.

“There are very few executives capable of doing everything, from public relations engineering. He directed the company as he thought it had to be managed. For a long time, people were ready to say ‘okay, very well, he does the job’. But as soon as you do a false step. people look at you and say to each other ‘wait a little’. Christian has won many championships. He was not used to winning. Do not win, especially when you know that it is not entirely your fault “concludes the 94 -year -old Briton.