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:

Christian Horner’s long tenure as Red Bull Racing team principal came to an abrupt end in July, marking the close of a two-decade spell in charge. The team didn’t provide any specifics for the decision,

Max Verstappen says Christian Horner’s shock dismissal as Red Bull team principal has “made no difference” to his decision over whether to stay at the team, adding “only time will tell” if it is the right move on the part of the team’s shareholders.