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Red Bull sacked their team principal, Christian Horner, with immediate effect, just days after the 2025 British GP. As a replacement, they appointed the former Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies at the helm of affairs at Red Bull.
Mekies joined as the boss of Racing Bulls earlier this season, but now will handle Max Verstappen and company for the rest of the season. Horner's removal from the Austrian team has come amid reports of internal politics and constant underperformance by the RB21 so far into the season.
Horner has been the pillar for the Austrian team, as the British boss has been at the helm of Red Bull since its inception in 2005. From then on, the Briton weathered every storm, stayed up with the team, and handed them eight F1 Drivers' titles and six Constructors' Championships.
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However, in recent times, Christian Horner's grip on the team and his popularity began to fade, especially after he was involved in a scandal last season. Following this, the Red Bull Racing fell apart, and Horner became the latest titan to fall.
According to reports, a series of meetings took place within the Red Bull team. In the meeting, Horner's performances were questioned as the Austrian team had two disastrous outings in two back-to-back home races, the Austrian and British GPs.
Reports say that the Max Verstappen camp (Verstappen, his father, Jos Verstappen, and his manager Raymond Vermeulen) was involved with Oliver Mintzlaff. They are said to have held the meeting to push for a change in Red Bull's senior leadership.
Max Verstappen's rumor with Mercedes played a big part in Christian Horner's dismissal
According to multiple reports, the rumors of Max Verstappen being in talks with Mercedes may have played a big part in the dismissal of Christian Horner. Numerous reports confirmed that the Verstappen camp wanted Horner out of the team or to have his power trimmed from the top of Red Bull Racing.
As Red Bull's downward spiral didn't seem to end, the Verstappen camp was reportedly in talks with the Silver Arrows regarding a move to Brackley in the upcoming seasons. Given F1 is entering a new era in 2026, and Mercedes is said to be well prepared, it made all the sense for Verstappen to move to Toto Wolff's team to claim more success.
Although Max Verstappen is tied to Red Bull till the end of 2028, triggering a performance clause could see him out of the team as early as next year. It will be interesting to see which way Max Verstappen and his camp will go.
