'Reasons for Christian Horner exit revealed' as Max Verstappen factor emerges
Christian Horner's long stint as Red Bull boss is over.
The threat of Max Verstappen's departure, poor driver decisions and a decline in the team's popularity among fans are reportedly among the leading reasons for Christian Horner's Red Bull exit. After 20 years as team principal, he was relieved of his duties on Wednesday. Horner has been part of the Red Bull furniture since the team's inception in 2005, delivering six Constructors' Championship and eight Drivers' Championship titles.
However, since the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, the pendulum has swung towards McLaren, and both Mercedes and Ferrari have leapfrogged the Milton Keynes squad on a performance basis. This prompted action from Red Bull's hierarchy, with Chalerm Yoovidhya and Oliver Mintzlaff taking the decision to remove the 51-year-old from his position on the pit wall. He has been replaced by Laurent Mekies, who steps up after a season and a half with the Racing Bulls sister team.
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In the press release from Red Bull on Wednesday, no formal reasons for Horner's exit were provided. However, according to a report from Auto Motor und Sport, there were a number of factors that fed into the decision to relieve the long-serving team principal of his duties ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Aside from the team's performance, which leaves them fourth in the Constructors' Championship standings, nearly 300 points behind runaway leaders McLaren, poor driver decisions left Horner's leadership in a precarious position.
Chief among those ill-fated choices was the decision to hand Sergio Perez an improved contract in 2024 during a mid-season slump. His form only worsened, and Red Bull were forced to buy out the remainder of his deal in December. His replacement was Liam Lawson, who was dropped just two rounds into the 2025 calendar, and the next man in line, Yuki Tsunoda, has not fared much better.
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Then there is the Verstappen factor. The Dutchman's future with Red Bull has been questioned in 2025, with Mercedes showing serious interest. The prospect of losing the franchise's star driver worried the organisation's leadership. Horner's widespread power within the team was also reportedly 'a thorn in the side of Verstappen's entourage'.
According to the AMuS report, there are also concerns about fan perception of the team. Of course, a winning team always becomes a target in the long run - this was experienced by Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in the turbo hybrid era - but Red Bull have allegedly ranked last in popularity studies with F1 viewers.
The closing stages of Horner's reign also coincided with the departures of key members of staff. Rob Marshall swapped Milton Keynes for Woking, joining McLaren, while Jonathan Wheatley took up the role of team principal at Sauber. Then, in the most high-profile move, legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey left for Aston Martin. All of these exits chipped away at the Brit's standing at the top of the organisation.
