Christian Horner's ostrich policy: When will the penny drop?

Christian Horner is not to be envied at the moment. While he is still in the middle of an investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour - the accuser was heard again recently - the Brit has to lead a team where things remain unsettled. It is now clear that Adrian Newey will leave Red Bull Racing after the first quarter of 2025. But the catalyst of all these problems - Horner - insists that all the hassle is not because of him.

The very man who spent 18 years at Horner's side helping to build the team into what it is today has had enough. According to Horner, Newey's decision to leave was prompted by his desire to slow down and had been in the pipeline for some time. Newey himself told Sky Sports otherwise. Yes, he had been toying with the idea of leaving Red Bull for some time.

Newey was done with the internal hassle

But, and this is a very relevant addition: "As events have unfolded this year, I thought, I'm in the very lucky position where I don't need to work to live." So although Horner adamantly denies it, Newey says very clearly here that the team boss affair, trying to get rid of Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen openly doubting/doubting a long-term future at Red Bull contributed to the goodbye.

Also: Newey has a well-filled bank account, so - as he himself points out - he doesn't have to do it all for money. Newey does the work he does because he enjoys it. And if that enjoyment was still as great as it was, say, about four years ago, would this man - known as a workaholic - really have left the team that currently dominates Formula 1?

Horner with his head in the sand

Earlier this week, Max Verstappen remained tight-lipped about his own future, although Horner continues to reiterate that the Dutchman is 'just' serving out his contract. You could call it an ostrich policy: Horner continues to keep his head in the sand, pretending that nothing is wrong and that Newey's farewell had been coming for ages. But is this manner of management really the right one to keep Red Bull at the top, or should Horner look in the mirror a bit more often?