Why was Christian Horner, Red Bull F1 team principal, sacked after 20 years on the job?

Christian Horner, the team principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull F1 racing has been dismissed, the team announced on Wednesday. Horner has led the Red Bull team ever since it entered the sport during the 2005 Austrian Grand Prix—marking two decades at the helm.

The Briton will be replaced by Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls. “The last year and a half has been an absolute privilege to lead the team with Peter [Bayer, Racing Bulls CEO],” commented Mekies.

Mekies will be replaced by Racing Bulls Racing Director Alan Permane. “I feel very honoured to take on the role as Team Principal and would like to thank Oliver and Helmut [Marko, Red Bull advisor] for the trust they have shown in me,” Permane said.

The decision comes as the rumours were rife that Helmut Marko, former F1 racer and advisor to Red Bull Racing, had plans to fire Horner due to Red Bull’s recent slump in performance. The recent British Grand Prix proved the same as the sister team performed better on track.

With two cars on the track, reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen has been credited more than the machinery he drives for the points gained—not just during the current season, but also the 2024 season. Verstappen alone contributed 437 points out of the total 589 during the previous season, the rest collected by his former teammate Sergio Perez. This cost the team the Constructors’ Championship, which was achieved by McLaren.

This season alone, Verstappen has been paired with two different drivers. New Zealand’s Liam Lawson was replaced by Perez but was dropped after just two races in favour of Yuki Tsunoda. But the Japanese has also been displaying poor performance and instigated a phrase “the cursed second seat”—many blaming the car, and not the driver.

It has also been rumoured that Verstappen will make his move to rival team Mercedes next season, which means Red Bull would lose their star driver.

Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO of Corporate Projects and Investments thanked 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.”