Red Bull praise Christian Horner influence after 'what the fuck' moment

Christian Horner has been lauded for his role in developing Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) by Oliver Mintzlaff, managing director of the F1 team's parent company, Red Bull GmbH.

The German has credited the former team principal for "finding the right people" for the project, which embarks on its first season of competition in 2026 under the all-new F1 power unit regulations.

The Milton Keynes-based squad started its journey to becoming a power unit manufacturer when former partner Honda initially pulled out of the championship at the end of 2021, but it was a long-held dream of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away the following year.

The Japanese giant ultimately reversed its decision and spent the past few years with the six-time constructors' champions, but with Red Bull already heading towards building its own power units by that stage, it was never going to work long term, as Honda wanted greater involvement.

It has since struck a works relationship with Aston Martin, with Red Bull bringing Ford — the company it purchased the Jaguar Formula 1 team from in 2004 — into the fold as a technical partner.

It is a big gamble for the Laurent Mekies-led team, but Mintzlaff is intrigued to see how it fares with the transition, with the chassis rules also changing at the same time.

"For us, it'll be especially interesting to see how we do with our own engine," he told De Telegraaf when asked about his goals for the team in the years to come, before recalling his reaction when first informed of the decision.

"I remember team founder Dietrich Mateschitz telling me a few years ago that we were going to build our own engine," he said. "I thought to myself: What the f*ck, what does that mean? And then I also heard how much it would cost..."

Mintzlaff was quick to praise the contribution of Horner, who was fired in July as the team continued its prolonged decline from its title-winning highs.

"But it was his big dream, and kudos to Christian Horner for finding the right people for that department," he stated.

"I now, especially, hope that we can all make Dietrich's big dream come true, that we'll win again in the new era and write new success stories."

Mekies has managed to right the ship, and Max Verstappen has committed his immediate future to the team. The situation gives Mintzlaff cause for confidence despite the considerable challenge ahead.

"I think this will be a fantastic story, with our two teams: two young drivers in the talent team and Isack Hadjar getting a chance alongside Max," he added.

"This suits Red Bull; we find the best talents for the best positions. I think we've done quite well overall over the past 21 years."