Red Bull Racing’s difficult 2026 Formula 1 campaign has sparked growing concern across the paddock, with former team principal Christian Horner offering a sobering assessment of what he believes has gone wrong at the once-dominant outfit.
After spending two decades at the helm, Horner helped transform Red Bull into one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history. Under his leadership, the Milton Keynes-based squad secured eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ Championships, becoming a dominant force during multiple eras of the sport.
However, the picture has changed dramatically over the past two seasons. Once the benchmark for performance, Red Bull now finds itself struggling to compete consistently with the leading teams under Formula 1’s 2026 regulations. The team’s pace has fallen away, leaving it unable to regularly challenge for race victories, while uncertainty surrounding its future continues to grow.
Perhaps the biggest concern is the future of four-time world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver is reportedly weighing his options as an exit clause in his contract is set to become active, with persistent speculation linking him to a potential move to McLaren. If Verstappen were to leave, it would represent another devastating setback for a team already dealing with significant changes behind the scenes.
Red Bull has experienced an unprecedented exodus of senior figures over the past two years. Legendary designer Adrian Newey departed the organisation, while sporting director Jonathan Wheatley also moved on. Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is no longer part of the team’s leadership, and respected engineer Rob Marshall has likewise left the operation.
The departures have not stopped there. Verstappen’s long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is reportedly set to join McLaren, while chief engineer Paul Monaghan has been heavily linked with a move to Cadillac ahead of its Formula 1 debut. The steady loss of experienced personnel has raised serious questions about the team’s long-term stability.
Arguably the most shocking departure came in July 2025, when Horner himself was dismissed from his role after leading the team for more than 20 years. At the time, many believed Red Bull would continue to thrive despite the leadership change. In fact, the team enjoyed a relatively strong finish to the 2025 season, and Verstappen remained competitive during the closing stages of the championship.
But 2026 has painted a very different picture.
Red Bull has struggled to adapt to the sport’s latest technical regulations, with Verstappen finding himself down in seventh place in the Drivers’ Championship. The RB22 has lacked the pace needed to consistently challenge the frontrunners, leaving the reigning champion frustrated as rivals continue to pull away.
Speaking in an interview with The Times, Horner reflected on the team’s current situation and suggested that the problems now facing Red Bull may be the result of years of gradual change rather than a single event. His comments hinted that the departure of several key figures has weakened the foundations that once made the team so successful.
While Horner stopped short of predicting Red Bull’s future, his assessment serves as a warning that rebuilding a championship-winning organisation is rarely straightforward once its core leadership and technical expertise begin to disappear.
With uncertainty surrounding Verstappen, continued staff departures, and increasing pressure to return to the front of the grid, Red Bull now faces one of the biggest challenges in its modern Formula 1 history. How the team responds over the coming months could determine whether this difficult period becomes only a temporary setback—or the beginning of a much deeper decline.
