Red Bull sponsors not happy with Christian Horner being abruptly sacked: Reports

Reportedly, Red Bull sponsors were not happy about Christian Horner being sacked abruptly by the board at the end of the 2025 British GP. The Brit was let go of his role as team principal and CEO of the Austrian team after the race in Silverstone earlier in the month.

Horner had been part of the Milton Keynes-based outfit since the beginning of the 2005 season and was the face of the team in the sport ever since. Under his leadership, Red Bull won eight drivers and two constructors' championships in 20 years and was part of two separate periods of domination in the sport.

Christian Horner's sacking came as a surprise to many, despite reports of internal conflict rumblings since the start of the 2024 season. As per The Race, many of Red Bull's sponsors were not happy with the team, as they were also not informed of the sacking beforehand and found out about the news from the media.

The 51-year-old was at the heart of the Austrian team and had been front and center of the commercial side of the outfit as well, given the influx of multiple lucrative deals being signed on in the last couple of years. Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff and the board have not given any specific reason behind Horner's sacking to the media or the man himself.

Former Red Bull driver reflects on Christian Horner's sacking

Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon admitted that he was surprised by the news of Christian Horner's sacking, as he went on to praise the latter for building the Austrian team.

While speaking with RacingNews365, the Williams F1 driver reflected on the news and said:

"Yeah, I was. He's someone who helped me a lot in my career, and obviously, he's been in the sport for a long time, had a lot of success, and he built that team up. I mean, I joined quite late in the Christian Horner era, and on my side, it was clear that he had his people and had brought everyone up together.

"There were a lot of long-standing team members at Red Bull who had been there for a long time, and to this day as well. They seem to have a good knack for finding the right people and then building a good circle and chip away at it and very quickly get to the top - and I guess that is part of its success."

Alex Albon raced under Christian Horner's leadership for 18 months from the mid of 2019-20 season. The Brit was also influential in securing the Thai driver a place at the Grove-based outfit for the 2022 season after being on the sidelines for a year in 2021.