Christian Horner replacement confirmed as Red Bull break silence on sacking F1 boss
It brings an end to the longest reign for any team principal in Formula One.
Red Bull have confirmed Christian Horner's replacement after the Brit was sacked by the Formula One giant. Horner, who was engulfed in a sex texting scandal last year, was let go by Red Bull with immediate effect.
Horner took charge of Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where both Red Bull drivers disappointed with their performances. It proved the final race of Horner's long-lasting reign, given that news of his sacking was confirmed by the Milton Keynes-based outfit on Wednesday morning.
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The news comes one year after a sex text scandal engulfed him and the constructor, with Horner said to have sent inappropriate messages to a female employee. Horner denied all wrongdoing and was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in February 2024, before an appeal made by the woman in question was dismissed later that year.
A statement from Red Bull read: "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."
Following the confirmation, it was announced that Laurent Mekies will take over from Horner as Red Bull Racing's new CEO. Mekies will step up from sister team Racing Bulls, where he'd been working as the team principal since the start of the 2024 season.
On his spell working for Racing Bulls, the Frenchman said: “The last year and a half has been an absolute privilege to lead the team with Peter [Bayer, CEO].
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"It has been an amazing adventure to contribute to the birth of Racing Bulls together with all our talented people. The spirit of the whole team is incredible, and I strongly believe that this is just the beginning. Alan is the perfect man to take over now and continue our path. He knows the team inside out and has always been an important pillar of our early successes.”
Mekies inherits a difficult situation at Red Bull, given they sit fourth in the Constructors' Championship and face an uphill battle to mount a title challenge in the Drivers' Championship. Four-in-a-row champion Max Verstappen has trailed McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris all season, with one of Mekies' first tasks likely to be convincing the Dutchman to stick around at Red Bull amid reported interest from elsewhere.
