Former F1 driver Martin Brundle has highlighted a “mistake” made by Red Bull ahead of Christian Horner's shock exit.
Horner was removed from his team principal role in the days following the British Grand Prix, bringing the curtain down on his 20-year stint running the squad.
Red Bull has endured a difficult run of form of late compared to its title-winning years from 2021 to 2024.
It has often been forced to rely on Max Verstappen to score points, as a number of drivers in the second seat have struggled to get up to speed.
With the car known to suit the style of Verstappen, Brundle stated the team let the situation get too far.
“This is the crux of it, I think the mistake they’ve all made at Red Bull is allowing it to become a one-driver team,” Brundle told Sky F1
“The tail’s wagged the dog there for quite a long time.
“They’ve had some what appears to be dreadful driver decisions that had some common sense upfront, when they put a driver in who was going well somewhere else.
“All of that has played out and then Christian wanting to keep hold of the overall control of the direction in every aspect.”
Horner became a household name in recent years - as well as his success with Red Bull, he was known for his tongue-in-cheek clashes with rival team bosses.
Brundle highlighted F1 has lost a key character from the grid, but has backed Horner to reappear in another role going forward.
“I don't agree with everything Christian said and done, nor him me,” Brundle said. “We have completely opposite jobs in this paddock.
“We’ve given him quite a hard time from time to time on a Friday in this show.
“But we’ve lost a pantomime villain. I think that's really bad news for F1, because the other villains, like Zak and Toto have nobody to have a go at now.
“Christian’s a friend of mine, and I don't do fair-weather friendships.
“I feel sorry for him, I feel bad for him, but I think he will re-emerge somewhere else in a part ownership role or ownership role.”
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