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Max Verstappen's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, has revealed that Red Bull informed them about Christian Horner's sacking in advance. In a move that should shock the paddock, the Austrian team has announced that the team principal/CEO was removed from his position with immediate effect.
Horner was one of the pillars of Red Bull, as he was the team principal when the team first debuted in F1. The team came into the sport with a perception of it being a drinks company, but soon enough, it became a frontrunner.
The team began its F1 journey in 2005, and by 2009, it was already a race winner. It won both championships in 2010 and went on a 4-year championship run. Ironically, even in 2025, Red Bull is on a 4-year Drivers' championship run as well, but there has been a serious decline.
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Coupled with the fact that Christian Horner has had a few back-and-forths with Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, as well, the environment has not been ideal. In all of this, the news of Horner's sudden departure does come as a surprise.
However, Max Verstappen's manager reveals that the driver and his team were informed in advance of the call to fire Horner. He told the Telegraph,
"We were informed in advance by Red Bull management that this decision had been taken. It is up to Red Bull to provide further explanation regarding the motives. We continue to look at the sporting side and are looking for more performance, so that we can return to the top. In that respect, nothing changes."
Red Bull thanks Christian Horner for his work
In the statement issued by the team in the press, Oliver Mintzlaff thanked Christian Horner for the work that he had done within the team. The 51-year-old has led the team to a whopping 14 titles in the last two decades. In the press release, Mintzlaff stated,
"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."
One has to wonder what the future holds for Horner and, at the time, whether the Verstappen family had a role to play in his ouster. The 51-year-old has spent his entire F1 stint being a Red Bull man and has a proven record.
He also knows how to turn a team into a championship-contending one. There are certainly going to be offers on the table, and it would be interesting to see if Horner makes a comeback to the grid in the next 12 months or so.
