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Red Bull's sudden action to dismiss Christian Horner from his role has sent a ripple across the F1 fraternity. Many suspected pressure from the Verstappen camp as one of the reasons for Horner's departure. However, latest reports suggest that the Dutchman had no role in the ouster of Horner from the team.
According to De Telegraaf, Verstappen, his father Jos Verstappen, and his manager Raymond Vermeulen had no role in pushing the British boss out of the Austrian team.
The newspaper adds that the decision was made because those in charge no longer had confidence that Horner could turn the tide amid the team's recent poor performances. The move is also said to be an attempt to restore calm among the team's shareholders.
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On Wednesday (July 9), Red Bull sacked Christian Horner with immediate effect, and put Racing Bulls team principal, Laurent Mekies, in charge. The top brass of Red Bull GmbH sacked the British boss after 20 years in the role.
Horner joined Red Bull when the team was rebranded from Jaguar back in 2005. He guided the team to eight Drivers' Championships and six Constructors' Titles. However, things had been far from smooth for the Briton in recent years.
Despite taking the team to the pinnacle of success from 2022 to 2024, things began to fall like a domino for Horner in early 2024 when he was involved in a controversy as he was accused of inappropriate conduct by a female co-worker.
Even though Red Bull did not sack him or part ways with him then, the situation started turning from bad to worse as time passed. First, it was Adrian Newey, Red Bull's most renowned engineer, who left the team, and Jonathan Wheatley, the sporting director, followed suit at the end of last season.
On the track, Red Bull lacked performance as Max Verstappen began to turn impatient. In the second Red Bull seat, three drivers were changed, but there was no improvement in performance. As a result, rumors began to surface that the Verstappen camp wanted Horner out of Red Bull.
Exploring other possible factors behind Christian Horner's dismissal at Red Bull
According to multiple reports, Christian Horner lost the support of the Yoovidhya Family that co-owns Red Bull GmbH. In 2024, Horner enjoyed whole-hearted support of the family, but things appear to have changed now.
On the other hand, Oliver Mintzlaff, the CEO of Red Bull GmbH, was far from impressed with Red Bull's operations as the team lost several big names over the years. The team's on-track performances also diminished (currently P4 in the Constructors' Championship).
The Christian Horner dismissal has also come amid rumors linking Max Verstappen with Mercedes. As per paddock chatters, the Dutchman is in talks with the Silver Arrows ahead of the new 2026 regulations. However, Red Bull has yet to share a reason for cutting off its long-time partnership with Christian Horner.
