Red Bull announced on Wednesday that they have fired Christian Horner after 20 years as the team’s principal.
Horner has led the Red Bull Formula 1 team since 2005, guiding it through its successful periods in the early 2010s and the current decade.
ESPN reported that sources within Red Bull mentioned rising tensions within the team, worsened by this year’s performance issues and uncertainty surrounding star driver Max Verstappen’s future.
Additionally, sources revealed to ESPN that several meetings were held over the past two weekends during the team’s home race at the Austrian Grand Prix and at the British Grand Prix.
At least one of these meetings included Verstappen and Oliver Mintzlaff, a key figure from the company’s corporate side who has been advocating for changes in Red Bull’s racing leadership.
Last month, Horner dismissed claims that Ferrari chairman John Elkann had approached him about possibly taking over Fred Vasseur’s troubled position.
However, Horner always seemed secure in his job as long as he had the backing of Red Bull’s majority owner, Chalerm Yoovidhya, who started the company with the late Dietrich Mateschitz.
That situation seems to have changed. Sources informed ESPN that any decision to remove Horner would require Yoovidhya’s consent.
Wednesday’s news follows a year after Horner retained his position despite an internal investigation into sexual misconduct linked to accusations from a former employee at Red Bull Racing.
This issue only intensified the political tensions that arose after Mateschitz passed away in 2022.
Horner also had a very public disagreement with Jos Verstappen, the father of Max Verstappen. The Verstappens maintain a close relationship with Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko.
Last year, the famous technical director Adrian Newey moved to Aston Martin.
Former Racing Bulls team boss Laurent Mekies has been promoted to CEO of Red Bull Racing.
With Horner in charge, Red Bull has won eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ championships.
The team achieved all 124 of its grand prix wins under his guidance.
This season, frustrations within the team have been evident, as Verstappen has openly expressed his concerns about the car.
Verstappen’s future with the team is uncertain, as Mercedes is keeping an eye on the exit clauses in his contract that are connected to performance.
“We want to express our gratitude to Christian Horner for his outstanding work over the past 20 years,” Mintzlaff mentioned in a statement.
“His hard work, experience, skills, and creative ideas have played a key role in making Red Bull Racing one of the most successful and appealing teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian; you will always be a significant part of our team’s history.”
