Horner also ‘hurt and betrayed’ as lid lifted on brutal exit talks

TEARFUL staff rocked by Red Bull chief Christian Horner’s axing have been ordered to “smile more” by their new Austrian and German bosses.

Loyal workers were stunned when the British Formula One team’s supremo Horner, 51, was ousted following a stellar 20-year reign.

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Red Bull staff have been told to ‘smile more’ despite being upset over Christian Horner’s exitCredit: AFP

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The ace was brutally fired earlier this month in a surprise meetingCredit: AP
He helped Red Bull win eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ crowns.

And sources told SunSport new Austrian boss Helmut Marko upset staff who gathered to meet him at the team’s HQ in Milton Keynes — with some now threatening to quit.

A female Red Bull worker revealed: “It was only a day after Christian was sacked and a lot of the team were still upset when Mr Marko addressed us.

“But he just made a joke of it and told us to cheer up — he said, ‘You need to smile more’.

“It didn’t endear him to anyone as what is there to smile about?”

Horner’s roles as chief executive officer and team principal have been usurped by Austrian team adviser Marko, 82, and German ex-football official Oliver Mintzlaff, 49.

While French engineer and motorsport exec Laurent Mekies, 48, was quickly unveiled as Horner’s replacement last week.

But insiders have insisted Mintzlaff and Marko are now the men in the driving seat — and revealed their first address to staff at Milton Keynes was a “car crash”.

Mintzlaff sparked more anger when he joked about the brutal axing of senior staff including Horner, chief marketing officer Oliver Hughes and director of communications Paul Smith.

Horner was summoned to London on July 9 believing he was attending a regular team meeting.

But he was then relieved of his duties on the spot and put on gardening leave.

Hughes and Smith were called into an office and also told they were no longer part of Red Bull’s future.

They were escorted out of the building after having their company devices taken from them — leaving hundreds of staff with no bosses to answer to.

And another staff member told SunSport: “Mintzlaff     also said, ‘If you have any problems, just text your line manager’.

“Then he added, ‘Oh, and if you don’t have a line manager any more, just text me!’ and started laughing.”

Red Bull supremo Horner knew nothing of the plans to get rid of him, 18 months after he was accused of a sexting scandal which broke the heart of his Spice Girl wife Geri, 52.

And the £12million-a-year chief was replaced within 24 hours by Marko and Mintzlaff,  who arrived to address staff members, 90 per cent of whom are British.

Emotional Red Bull insiders spoke in depth for the first time yesterday over their shock at the loss of their boss.

They also laid bare the chaos that is now gripping this once  all-conquering F1 team.

And long-standing family friends who have spoken to Horner admitted he was left stunned by his ruthless removal.

One told SunSport: “Christian told me how hurt and betrayed he felt after all that he and Geri and their family have been through over the past 18 months.

“He was cleared twice over the texting scandal but is now on gardening leave and has still been given no explanation why he’s lost the job he loved.

“Red Bull’s Austrian bosses have always resented the fact that so much of their F1 success was down to a team that Christian built in Britain.

“That is what lies behind this — as well as the hangover from the terrible headlines last year.

“Christian was called to a London meeting and had no idea what it was about.

“He was just told, ‘You have to be there’ and was dumbfounded when he was ushered into a room and effectively sacked on the spot.

“It left him totally blindsided — he thought he’d been called in to speak about another issue.

“But the staff are nearly all Brits and are fiercely loyal to him and are now talking about walking out.

“It was a targeted attack for control of the race team because Red Bull’s Austrian HQ didn’t like a British man running their race team.

“But now the team is in chaos — Red Bull at Milton Keynes has hit the skids.”

Red Bull’s Austrian-based HQ was approached for comment yesterday.