Formula 1 News: Berger unsure Mekies has Horner’s ‘killer instinct’

(GMM) Christian Horner’s “idiot” behavior contributed to his demise at Red Bull, his close friend and confidante Bernie Ecclestone admits.

Bild newspaper thinks a final straw for the 51-year-old last week was refusing to even cede control of overall marketing at the second team Racing Bulls.

“The bottom line is there are people who thought he was getting away with things, that he was acting as if it was not the Red Bull ring, but the Christian Horner ring,” former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone told the Telegraph.

“He got away with so many things. All the time you are delivering, people close their eyes – but when you stop delivering, people start looking.”

Horner’s personal scandal last year, involving ‘sexting’ a now-disgruntled former employee, didn’t help.

“He was just an idiot,” Ecclestone agrees. “He was a 50-year-old who thought he was 20 – thought he was one of the boys.”

However, the sudden mid-season change at Red Bull still managed to surprise most Formula 1 paddock insiders. “Maybe they had a big fight,” former Bridgestone and Ferrari engineer Kees van der Grint told Viaplay.

“I think it’s a very strange story but I don’t know enough about it.”

Red Bull’s fading performance and staff exodus obviously didn’t help. “You can hold Horner responsible for that, as the leader of the entire company,” the Dutchman added, “but ultimately, he’s not building that car.”

Whatever happened, the baton has now been handed to Laurent Mekies – an internal promotion from Racing Bulls. “I’ve dealt with Laurent before,” F1 legend Gerhard Berger – Red Bull’s first sponsored athlete – told Krone newspaper.

“He was with me at Ferrari, I worked with him at Toro Rosso, and also at the FIA,” the Austrian added. “He has a good style and knows Formula 1 very well, having held various positions.

“Whether he also has the killer instinct you need at such a big team when you’re at the very front remains to be seen. But I think Mekies is a good solution for Red Bull Racing.”