The staff member at the heart of allegations of inappropriate behaviour against Christian Horner last season has found a new role in motorsport. Allegations made against Horner dominated the news in the early weeks of the F1 2024 campaign and are thought to have planted the seeds for his ultimate dismissal.

While the reason for Horner's ousting has not been revealed, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has pointed out that performance concerns led to his exit, and that the decision was taken by the managing director of Red Bull GmbH, Oliver Mintzlaff. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:

Heading into the Belgian GP, Red Bull is 288 points behind Constructors' Championship leader McLaren, and Verstappen's dreams of scoring a fifth successive Drivers' Championship crown are hanging by a thread. With a critical regulation change incoming for the 2026 season, Red Bull's status as an F1 powerhouse is under significant threat.