Earlier this year, there were doubts about Horner’s position at the Red Bull team in Milton Keynes because of complaints made by a female employee about his behavior.
This led to a long investigation, which eventually cleared Horner of any wrongdoing. But it caused tension within the team.
Some thought that the Thai owners of Red Bull were supporting Horner, while the Austrian side, led by Mintzlaff, wanted him replaced. Mintzlaff’s lack of public support for Horner during a visit to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix fueled this belief.
But in a rare interview with Bild Am Sonntag, Mintzlaff expressed his full support for Horner, believing he can lead the team to success. Mintzlaff said, “I am convinced of that. He only has the team’s success in mind and is a very good CEO.”
Red Bull faces challenges in maintaining its winning streak, especially with the departure of its chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, at the start of next year. Mintzlaff acknowledges Newey’s contribution to the team’s success but believes the existing technical structure will continue to produce great cars.
Newey’s departure means Red Bull won’t have him during the transition to F1’s new rules era in 2026, when the team will also be using its own engine. Despite the challenges, Mintzlaff is optimistic about Red Bull’s future.
“We want to stay at the top of Formula 1 in 2026,” Mintzlaff said. “While there are no guarantees, we have proven that we can handle major rule changes. Max [Verstappen] has noticed this, which makes me optimistic about the future.”
Mintzlaff acknowledges that building their own engine is a big challenge but is confident that Red Bull can succeed. He sees it as the next step in Red Bull’s development.
