After claiming to have received more “Red Bull CVs,” Horner retaliates on Wolff, telling him to “focus on his own issues.”

The shocking news that Adrian Newey will be leaving Red Bull in the first quarter of 2025 surfaced in the build-up to the Miami Grand Prix. After working with the team for almost 20 years, winning seven driver championships and six constructor crowns, the British driver felt it was time to take a step back.

Although there is still uncertainty regarding Newey’s future, there have been rumors circulating in the paddock that connect him to teams like Williams, Mercedes, and most significantly, Ferrari.

His action is merely one of many parts that come into place for Red Bull. The pressure Christian Horner has been under this season is one of the reasons why Newey is said to have left Red Bull.

Horner made headlines earlier this year when he was charged with acting inappropriately with a female colleague. The accusations were dropped following an investigation, but the discussion sparked controversy. Most notably, Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, expressed reservations about Horner’s leadership, saying that keeping the British player would be “bad for the team.” Helmut Marko was also charged with information leakage, though that accusation has subsequently been refuted. The team’s ties were further strained by these incidents.

Toto Wolff fires first.

In spite of Newey’s notable exit, Horner reiterated his conviction that there won’t be a widespread departure from Red Bull. Team principals Zak Brown and Toto Wolff, however, disagree with this assertion and acknowledge that they have received more resumes from Red Bull employees:

“Zak is absolutely correct. We are seeing Red Bull CVs through all of the levels. But I would say this isn’t anything out of the extraordinary. People change teams and want to change environment,” said Wolff to Sky Sports.

“I’ve come to the point that I’m not really interested what’s going on there with the leadership, not listening to anything anymore. I think it’s important for us to look at our team, develop the strong people and hopefully get some interesting, competent people from other teams into Mercedes and provide an exciting journey to recovery.

Horner responds

Horner retaliated, stating that Red Bull had stolen 220 employees from Mercedes and hired them to work on the company’s new 2026 power unit, which is being developed in conjunction with Ford:

“The two candidates involved talk a lot. I’m not going to get sucked in for a tit for tat. I would be more focused on Toto’s own issues that he has. I don’t have any concern with the strength and depth [of Red Bull],” Horner stated to Sky Sports.

“Of course there is always going to be movement between teams. I don’t know how many people we have employed by McLaren this year? Mercedes, we have taken 220 people. 220 out of HPP into Red Bull powertrains.

“So when we are talking about losing people, I would be more worried than about the 220 people, than one or two CVs.” Horner added.

Red Bull may be undergoing yet another major change as sporting director Jonathan Wheatley is reportedly the next important person to leave the Milton-Keynes-based company.

Since 2006, Wheatley has been a vital member of the team. His contract expires at the end of the current campaign, and while discussions about a renewal are in progress, there are indications that the British player may pursue his goal of becoming a team principal in the interim.