It has come to the shock of the world that Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has been fired with immediate effect.
The Englishman took charge of the team in 2005 when it was formed, and has since led the F1 powerhouse to many years of glory.
However, it was announced at 10am this morning that his time has come to an end, with principal of sister team Racing Bulls, Laurent Mekies taking the reigns.
Red Bull released the following statement:
“Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today [Wednesday 9 July 2025] and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing. Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments thanked Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years.”
Horner has led the team to eight Drivers' Championship titles and six Constructor's. With the debacle of the team this season, and a year on from the personal scandal involving the 51-year old, they wave goodbye to his time at the top.
“We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years. With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history.”
Rumours have been spread over the last 18 months regarding Horner's position.
The youngest ever team principal
He joined the team in 2005, leading Red Bull to four successive championship double titles as Sebastian Vettel was the world number one from 2010 to 2013.
As the new V6 era came, Honda's engine was unsuccessful in matching the Mercedes counterpart putting the team back on top in 2021 with Max Verstappen's first title, beating Lewis Hamilton to it.
Super Max has since won four on the bounce for Horner's array. Last year was the first year where the team began to show cracks.
Off-track problems came for Christian Horner as he was accused of inappropriate behaviour towards a staff member, in which he was cleared of in an internal investigation. This acted as the start of their troubles.
With McLaren now taking control of the Championship, Horner's team have made a big drop from P1 to P4 in 2025 - still having a tough time to find a second driver making point finishes.
Horner's departure comes with the arrival of Mekies who said:
"The last year and a half has been an absolute privilege to lead the team with Peter [Bayer, Racing Bulls CEO]. It has been an amazing adventure to contribute to the birth of Racing Bulls together with all our talented people."
Last weekend's outing was one to forget for Horner's then team, who only saw their number one reach fifth - a race which was his last in charge.
Christian Horner is yet to make a comment. More to follow.
