P1racenews AI automatic summary:
How F1’s most bitter battle of 2025 was fought off track
Christian Horner was fired from Red Bull in July, and the team’s negative reputation began to improve swiftly.
Under the leadership of Laurent Mekies, Red Bull’s performance drastically improved, with an additional 279 points scored after the British Grand Prix.
Despite a shaky start, Max Verstappen’s impressive second half of the season brought him within two points of becoming the new world champion after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale.
The decision to remove Horner from his role was initially surprising, but many now believe it should have been done sooner, as Helmut Marko suggested.
Allegations against Horner and his strained relationship with key figures at Red Bull, including Verstappen and Marko, led to internal turmoil within the team.
Controversial remarks made by Marko, combined with Horner’s alleged misconduct, had a significant impact on the team’s dynamics and performance leading to a period of instability within Red Bull.
