F1 insider blasts Christian Horner's Red Bull management

Former Formula 1 driver turned pundit Ralf Schumacher has criticized Christian Horner's 'really bad' management at Red Bull.

Red Bull are under huge scrutiny ahead of next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix having axed Liam Lawson just two races into the season.

It continues a negative trend regarding the seat alongside Max Verstappen, and now, Horner's management of the team has been questioned.

Speaking to Sky Sports’ German edition he said: "For me, it still all seems a bit reckless. And I think Red Bull urgently needs to draw conclusions from this. I think it's just not really working together anymore.

“Christian Horner also seems to have made the wrong decision – I'm sorry to have to say it like this. We'll hopefully ask him at the next race, or at the latest the race after that, whether he would make the same decision again.”

“In my opinion, he backed the wrong horses, lost the good people – and this is the result. So, in terms of management, it was and still is really bad.”

Have Red Bull made the right decision?

Despite Schumacher’s doubt, Red Bull enter the Japanese Grand Prix with Yuki Tsunoda in their ranks, a driver who has enjoyed an impressive run of form at the beginning of 2025 with consecutive Q3 appearances.

This follows a strong 2024 season where he not only bested every team-mate thrown at him during his time with Racing Bulls, but also acquired their main bulk of points and was thus entirely deserving of the Red Bull promotion.

However, this has not stopped Schumacher from branding Red Bull’s driver swap saga as a minor ‘failure’, and claimed that Helmut Marko pushed Liam Lawson too hard.

“As for the young drivers: Red Bull invests so much time and money in developing them, and Dr. Marko often has a lucky hand. But now I have to say, this isn't a total failure, but it's also not far from Dr. Helmut Marko, who pushed Liam Lawson too hard. And I think two races are simply too few for a young driver,” Schumacher added.

“They should have worked with him more. That's why I say: The whole thing is senseless, and I'm genuinely surprised. And what we can't ignore is that they're now also destabilizing the Racing Bulls, who were doing great. But it seems to make absolutely no difference what's happening there."

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