Five reasons why Christian Horner may have been sacked by Red Bull
Christian Horner has left Red Bull after guiding Max Verstappen to four back-to-back world titles.
Red Bull have sacked team boss Christian Horner after the British Grand Prix in a shock announcement on Wednesday morning. The Milton-Keynes-based team’s decision to sack Horner halfway through a season with one of their cars still in World Championship contention may seem strange. With 12 races to run, Max Verstappen is still mathematically in with a chance of winning a fifth title after winning four since 2021.
Just two years ago, Horner was one race off completing what would have been a historic unbeaten run through a season. However, that seems a long way off now so here are five reasons it's all come to an end.
Has Max Verstappen already signed at Mercedes?
This could be the frontrunner, and potentially the driver transfer of the summer if it all comes off. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has made no secret of his attempt to secure the signature of the Dutch World Champion and rumours have intensified in recent weeks.
At the same time, Verstappen has continued to give more than a few hints that he could be looking elsewhere. The four-time champion vented his frustrations at the “undriveable” nature of his car at Silverstone and refused to categorically deny transfer rumours.
Another clue was Verstappen appearing to go a little easy on potential Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli after the Italian carelessly ploughed into him at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Red Bull have now cycled through half a dozen drivers in their second seat since 2016 with little success making it an almost open secret that only Verstappen can drive this era of Red Bull machinery.
If he walks away, Red Bull may be struggling to get anywhere near the front for the foreseeable future.
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Has Max Verstappen’s team exercised their influence?
On the flip side, could Horner's departure actually indicate that Verstappen is planning to stay at Red Bull after all?
Last March, Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, publicly called for Horner to be removed from his position as team boss.
The former Benetton F1 star claimed that Red Bull confirmed there was “tension” with the team said to be “in danger of being torn apart”
Last year, Max Verstappen even admitted that a dispute between Horner and his father Jos was “not nice”.
Could the Verstappen's have tabled an ultimatum of sorts - encouraging Red Bull to sack Horner in exchange for Verstappen’s support at the team longer term.
There is certainly no evidence of it at this stage but it could be a theory if Verstappen’s transfer rumours come to nothing by the end of the year.
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Has the Red Bull Powertrain gamble failed?
After Honda announced it would walk away from F1 back in 2020, Red Bull announced its committment to build its own engines.
Red Bull Powertrains was set up shortly after with the focus to powering the car from the 2026 season onwards.
Little is known about F1 teams development progress for 2026 although paddock rumours indicate Mercedes are ahead of the curve.
Red Bull have previously battled an under-performing engine with a world-class chassis and aerodynamics under the watchful gaze of Adrian Newey.
With Newey having left for Aston Martin, Red Bull have no ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ if their engine doesn’t deliver performance.
Is Christian Horner heading to Ferrari?
Like Red Bull, Ferrari has had a difficult start to the 2025 season and pressure is mounting on team boss Frederic Vasseur.
Ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, media reports linked Horner with an approach from Ferrari.
Horner claimed it was “flattering to be associated with other teams” but underlined his commitment to Red Bull.
Has the Red Bull power struggle finally exploded?
Red Bull’s former chief Dietrich Mateschitz passed away in 2022, opening a major power struggle between the team's owners.
Mateschitz was the one who first entrusted Horner at the helm of the former Jaguar D1 team and his death left question marks over the future of the squad.
Mateschitz’s son inherited a 49% stake in the energy drinks company and appointed Oliver Mintzlaff to oversee the F1 team. However, the creator of the energy drinks formula from Thailand holds 51% interest.
