Christian Horner’s involvement in a recent scandal has put him in the public eye recently. However, amidst the current dispute, there have been other rumors indicating that Horner had a billion-dollar demand from Red Bull akin to Toto Wolff. According to the recent reports by funoanalisitecnica.com Horner has been on a path of greater control within the team. This includes a wish to purchase Red Bull shares in the same manner as Toto Wolff acquires Mercedes ownership. However, his attempts to gain control have not been supported by Dietrich Mateschitz.
The reports read, “The Briton wanted to acquire shares in Red Bull Racing similarly to the Mercedes model. In which Toto Wolff owns a third of the team’s shares but the request was not accepted.”
Mateschitz’s denial aggravated the already strained relationship within the team. Everything began when Mateschitz passed away in October 2022 and the team’s ownership was split. Chalerm Yoovidhya, a Thai businessman, acquired 51% of the shares in Red Bull GmbH. Mateschitz’s son Mark kept the remaining 49%.
The division of shares did nothing but widen the gap within the team. A person who went on to become the key figure in this was Christian Horner. In 2023, it came out that Horner reportedly wanted to get rid of Mateschitz’s right-hand man, Helmut Marko.
Following the circulation of this news, many hypotheses claimed that ‘if Dietrich were still alive, Christian Horner would’ve been fired.’ However, his death and Horner’s relationship with Thai owners significantly changed the balance of power within the team.
While Horner has been denied the equity, he has secured the marketing rights to the RB Visa Cash App squire. Moreover, according to the source, Wolff’s ownership stake in Mercedes may have made many bosses envious of him. Christian Horner seems to have been the most affected by them all, as it has raised his need for “more and more” from the team.
What ‘ambitious’ targets does Christian Horner have in mind?
Christian Horner has always been an ambitious man, whether it is being on the tracks or off the tracks. While his ambitions have undoubtedly made Red Bull one of the most successful teams in history, it appears that he is now concentrating on achieving his objectives. As per the reports, the Briton is vying for Oliver Mintzlaff’s position as CEO of Red Bull GmbH, having previously secured the CEO role of the Austrian team.
Earlier, reports claimed that Horner has a close bond with the company’s majority shareholder Yoovidhya. Considering that the reports now claim that Horner is convincing the Thai businessman that Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey are not essential, and the team can achieve success without them too.
These headlines emerged following Verstappen’s rumored departure from the Milton Keynes team to Mercedes. Interestingly, should this move turn out to be the case, the Red Bull will need a successor. Amidst this Horner could throw Red Bull owner Yoovidhya an olive branch. According to the reports, Horner has mentioned Thai driver Alex Albon as the most likely successor to the three-time champion.
In a recent remark, Horner even reaffirmed this point. He said, “You can’t force anyone to stay somewhere just because there’s a piece of paper.” Horner’s comment may indeed be a reference to Verstappen’s long-term contract with Red Bull, which runs through the end of 2028.
