Overview

• Red Bull announced on July 9 that Christian Horner had left after more than two decades in charge, a tenure that produced six constructors’ titles and eight drivers’ championships.
• Laurent Mekies, the team’s sporting director, has been promoted to principal and CEO to lead a rebuild tackling the RB21’s performance limitations.
• Persistent RB21 issues have left Red Bull off the pace, placing Max Verstappen 69 points adrift of Oscar Piastri and undermining his bid for a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship.
• Confirmed talks between Verstappen and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff have intensified speculation over the four-time champion’s future.
• Former drivers Johnny Herbert and Gerhard Berger have suggested that Horner’s exit could pave the way for Verstappen’s departure and stressed the need for a structural overhaul to reverse the team’s downward spiral.