Red Bull rebuilds after Horner and Newey departures as Verstappen stays loyal

Just over a year ago one of the most dominant teams in the history of Formula 1 appeared to be on the brink of implosion. Its talismanic team boss had just been sacked amid accusations of professional impropriety, the fêted architect of its cars had walked out to join a rival, and a boardroom power struggle threatened to tear the team apart. Even by the turbulent standards of F1, Red Bull’s fall from grace was spectacular. And yet…

A year on and the team appears, if not quite back to winning ways, then at least holding its own. How has it weathered the storm? And is a return to the top on the horizon for one of F1’s most compelling teams? To answer those questions we have pulled together a special series of reports in this issue. Andrew Benson snared a rare interview with star driver Max Verstappen in which he asked him straight questions and received refreshingly straight answers; Edd Straw examines how the team has rallied to keep the cars in the fight; and Adam Cooper speaks to Lauren Mekies, who replaced Christian Horner, to discover how he is filling his predecessor’s shoes.

“Even by the standards of F1, Red Bull’s fall from grace was spectacular”

No one expects the turnaround to be complete this season but for a team that many love to hate, the picture that emerges is that of a resilient, loyal and, yes, likeable outfit. Nothing encapsulates that better than a quote from Max when asked about his reasons for staying: “You cannot be the captain of the ship and as soon as there is something not working, you jump off the ship. That’s not how I am. I know that over time, let’s say it’s been a bit downwards from the dominant years, but I don’t mind also rebuilding it. It’s another challenge.”

Now from F1 to Le Mans… The lead up to the 24 Hours race this year was a busy period for us at Motor Sport. Not only were we covering the event on our website and our special issues but we were also working away in the background on a book celebrating the great race. In partnership with publisher HarperCollins that tome – Le Mans: 50 Moments that Defined the World’s Greatest Race – is now on sale.

It features our own selection of races, drivers and incidents and also mines our extensive archive for superb first-hand reactions. It was a fantastic project to be involved in and we would welcome your feedback if you happened to buy it from our website or your local bookshop.

Joe Dunn, editor
Follow Joe on X @joedunn90