Red Bull to take symbolic step at Imola while Horner is in the hot seat

By taking the start of the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna in Imola, Max Verstappen et Yuki tsunoda will allow Red Bull to equal Renault by registering the Austrian brand on a grid of Formula 1 for the 400th time. This historic milestone has only been reached by seven teams in history: Ferrari (1104) McLaren (976) Williams (857), Lotus (606), Tyrrell (430) and Renault (400).

Even before joining them, Red Bull has already made history in the discipline by winning six constructors' titles (2010 to 2013; 2022, 2023), but above all by winning 123 races out of the 399 contested, an impressive success rate of 30%, only beaten by Mercedes (40%) among the ten most successful manufacturers in history.

Red Bull, is the Bull still roaring?

Arriving in F2005 in 1 on the ruins of Jaguar, the Austrians laid solid foundations from their early years, thanks in particular to the involvement of the experienced David Coulthard, the genius of Adrian Newey and the leadership of Christian Horner, at the head of the team since its inception. Under the leadership of the Briton, Red Bull quickly climbed the ranks, until fighting for the title in 2009. If Jenson Button and Brawn GP managed to maintain the lead acquired at the start of the season to win both crowns, the Austrians launched a dynamic that would last four years. From 2010 to 2013, Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull won four Drivers' and Constructors' titles to establish themselves as the benchmark team of the early 2010s.

After a long Mercedes interlude, the energy drink brand regained its dominance from 2021 to 2024, before gradually losing ground, relying solely on the exploits of Max Verstappen. While the Dutchman clinched his fourth consecutive title at the end of last season, he owed it more to his talent than to his team, which had been shaken in the early months of the year in the wake of the "Horner affair."

Weakened, the Briton has clung to his position, but the situation could change after Imola, according to the Austrian press. The boss could lose his position due to the poor results recorded in recent months. Horner has reportedly lost the support of Red Bull's influential Thai shareholders, and his departure could be imminent.

Horner on the way out?

Adding to its moral problems is erratic driver management, with no reliable and effective number two being found to support Max Verstappen. If the Milton Keynes team had been without its star driver for the last 17 races, it would have scored only 51 points thanks to Sergio Pérez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. Over this period, Red Bull would have been only the 8th team in the field, ahead of only Racing Bulls and Sauber.

It is in this particular climate that Red Bull is preparing to contest its 400th Grand Prix: with an exceptional driver, who once again took pole in Miami, and a car that is among the best, certainly, but not dominant enough to allow Verstappen to win regularly. The prospect of losing a second consecutive Constructors' Championship could also weigh heavily in the shareholders' decision if Christian Horner fails to right the ship. For the Briton, finishing at least third becomes crucial, but the risk of being overtaken by Ferrari is real: without a second competitive driver, Red Bull cannot compete.

Despite these difficult last few months, the Milton Keynes team will still celebrate their first 400 Grands Prix on Sunday, a highly successful year, marked by their dominance in the early 2010s and 2020s. Perhaps in four years, when they celebrate their 500th, the Austrians will have further expanded their list of achievements... or, conversely, fallen to the bottom of the standings. By then, will Christian Horner still be sitting on the pit wall? We'll find out in the coming weeks...

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