The departure of two of Red Bull Racing‘s most influential figures has failed to resolve the internal tensions that have plagued the team for the past two seasons. Despite Christian Horner’s exit as team principal and Helmut Marko’s announcement in December that he would step away from his advisory role, sources suggest the Austrian outfit remains divided along shareholder lines. At the centre of the ongoing conflict is Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, who is reportedly pushing for greater authority over the Formula 1 operation as competing factions within the organisation continue to jockey for control.
The roots of Red Bull’s internal conflict
The power struggle at Red Bull Racing intensified dramatically during 2023 and reached its peak throughout 2024, when Marko and Horner found themselves on opposing sides of a deep organisational divide. The fracture lines reflected the team’s complex ownership structure, with Marko drawing support from the Austrian shareholders while Horner cultivated his relationship with the Thai side of the business, represented by the Yoovidhya family who hold the majority stake in the Red Bull company.
Marko previously revealed the origins of this split in candid remarks to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. He recalled a gathering before the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix where Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz was present but visibly unwell. According to Marko, Horner approached him at that event and predicted that Mateschitz would not survive the year. “From that moment he began cultivating his relationship with Chalerm Yoovidhya,” Marko explained. “When Didi passed away later that year, he did everything to take over with Yoovidhya’s support. On behalf of ‘Austria’ I did everything to prevent that.”
The Austrian shareholders, who inherited Mateschitz’s 49 percent stake in the company, have since found themselves in a delicate balancing act with the Thai majority owners. This fundamental tension has shaped decision-making at Red Bull Racing even as Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive world championship in 2024.
Mintzlaff’s push for greater control
With both Horner and Marko now out of the picture, attention has shifted to Oliver Mintzlaff, the Red Bull CEO who oversees the company’s sporting portfolio. According to FormulaAnalisiTechnica, Mintzlaff is actively seeking expanded decision-making authority over the Formula 1 team’s operations. His push comes at a critical juncture for Red Bull Racing, which faces stiff competition from McLaren and Ferrari after a season where the team’s performance advantage diminished significantly.
The situation is complicated by the continued presence of a faction within Red Bull Racing that maintains close ties to the Thai shareholders. This group has not disappeared following the leadership changes, meaning the fundamental divide that characterised the Horner-Marko era persists in a different form. The Austrian side of the business is now making the crucial decisions about the team’s future direction, but the influence battle remains unresolved.
Mintzlaff’s background differs sharply from traditional Formula 1 team leadership. He came to Red Bull from RB Leipzig, where he served as chairman, and his approach to the racing operation reflects a corporate management style rather than the motorsport-specific expertise that Horner and Marko brought to their roles. This difference in perspective has created additional friction as Red Bull Racing prepares for the 2025 season with a revised leadership structure.
Implications for Red Bull’s competitive position
The ongoing internal tensions arrive at an inopportune moment for Red Bull Racing. The team faces its most serious competitive challenge since returning to championship-winning form in 2021. McLaren emerged as a genuine threat during 2024, claiming the constructors’ championship, while Ferrari’s acquisition of Lewis Hamilton has strengthened the Italian team’s ambitions for 2025.
Red Bull’s technical department must navigate this uncertain political landscape while addressing the performance deficits that became apparent during the second half of 2024. The team struggled with balance issues and found itself unable to develop the car as effectively as its rivals. These technical challenges require clear decision-making and unified direction—precisely the qualities that internal power struggles tend to undermine.
The situation also affects Red Bull’s driver lineup. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen is now partnered by Liam Lawson, who replaced Sergio Pérez in a decision that itself reflected the team’s internal tensions. Lawson’s integration into the team and his development as Verstappen’s teammate will depend partly on whether the leadership structure can provide stable support for the young New Zealander.
What this means going forward
The resolution of Red Bull’s power struggle will likely determine the team’s trajectory through the 2025 season and beyond. If the Austrian shareholders and Mintzlaff can establish a clear hierarchy that eliminates the factional divisions, Red Bull Racing may regain the organisational focus that characterised its most successful periods. However, if the competing power bases continue to create internal friction, the team risks falling further behind rivals who operate with greater unity of purpose.
The first test will come as Red Bull Racing finalises its 2025 car development and prepares for pre-season testing. The technical choices made during this critical period will reveal whether the team’s decision-making processes have truly moved beyond the paralysis that internal conflicts can create. For Verstappen, who has grown increasingly vocal about his expectations for competitive machinery, the political situation represents a potential threat to his championship defence in what promises to be Formula 1’s most competitive season in years.
