Mark Hughes: The end of Red Bull’s dominance is about to begin.
How would the Red Bull Formula 1 team look without Christian Horner? How would Max Verstappen’s departure from the squad to drive for a competitor affect things? Which player, Verstappen or Horner, is more significant to Red Bull, if forced to choose?
To start with the last query, it depends on how long or short term we are discussing. Even without Horner, Verstappen would most likely continue to lead the team in races for the next year or two. However, following that?
The organization that supplies those vehicles and the racing crew that operates them is not as successful as it was by happenstance. Important decisions about hiring and investing, as well as strong guidance and leadership, are required to properly use the financial fuel that keeps it at the forefront.
No matter how well-funded, a rudderless organization would eventually lose the drive required to produce the vehicles that even a driver with Verstappen’s caliber of skill needs to succeed.
If Horner were to depart Red Bull, it would be difficult to find a replacement since he has developed naturally with the team as it has evolved from the little organization that took over the Milton Keynes location of Jaguar Racing and the former Stewart Grand Prix in the middle of the 2000s. The team’s structure has been woven with his vision as it has grown rapidly.
Milton Keynes has transformed into a multi-million-pound industrial estate, housing the Red Bull Powertrains engine manufacturing facility and sister RB team’s technology base. Horner’s role has evolved from managing a few hundred employees to managing hundreds of millions of pounds of investments, transforming the Milton Keynes base from a pitwall operation to a multi-million-pound entity.
The individual has become a successful executive and team boss, maintaining their unique personality and tone despite expanding their role. It is not feasible to replace them like-for-like.
Red Bull Racing, despite its size, remains a focused, fleet-footed, adaptable, and simple freewheeling race team, avoiding corporate inertia that can hinder teams of such size.
