Christian Horner SACKED by Red Bull after 20-year stint at F1 giants 12 months on from sex texts scandal
CHRISTIAN HORNER has been sacked by Red Bull with immediate effect after 20 years as team principal.
Horner, 51, was the longest reigning F1 boss after becoming commander in chief of the Austrian team during its inception in 2005.
It comes a year after the ‘sexting scandal’ that engulfed him over texts he apparently sent to a female employee.
Despite keeping his job in the aftermath of the chaos, Red Bull have slumped down both the Drivers and Constructors standings, with Max Verstappen reportedly eyeing a move to huge rivals Mercedes.
Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff said: “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.”
Laurent Mekies has been appointed as the new CEO of Red Bull Racing, stepping up from the Racing Bulls team.
Horner, who is married to Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, led Red Bull in two phases to world championship success.
The first through Sebastian Vettel’s glory days and then Max Verstappen‘s current era – which is somewhat under threat.
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In total, Horner won EIGHT drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles.
But Horner reportedly had another row with Jos Verstappen, father of Max, at Silverstone on Sunday, according to Ralf Schumacher.
Schumacher told the Boxengasse-podcast: “There was another argument or a heated exchange, at least visually and verbally between Jos, Christian Horner, and the press officer.
“You could see that Jos was anything but happy with the situation”.
Jos and Horner have been at loggerheads after the Brit survived survived accusations of coercive behaviour towards his colleague – and was twice cleared in internal investigations of wrongdoing.
Allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against him in February 2024 by a female team member were dismissed following an appeal last summer.
He was accused of sending suggestive WhatsApp messages, in texts that were leaked.
The woman apparently grew tired of her boss’s pleas for pictures and sexy chat, according to the WhatsApp dossier.
A KC cleared Horner for a second time in August after the unnamed accuser launched an appeal following the internal probe.
Horner denied the accusations throughout.
His £12million-a-year job was secured by support from the Thai majority owners of Red Bull but that seems to have worn out.
However in recent months, rumours have swept across the paddock about a looming axing.
Verstappen, 27, denied these stories as mere speculation ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May.
Internal tensions in the team did not help Horner’s situation.
The relationship between Jos Verstappen and Horner was particularly strained.
Jos previously said that the team are “in danger of being torn apart” if Horner remains in his role after the sexting scandal.
Before Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in March, his dad Jos raged that he would “expode” if Horner remained in his position.
Horner’s wife Geri was reportedly devastated by the scandal, but stood by her husband in showing signs of solidarity at key races.
Ginger Spice walked hand-in-hand with her hubby in Bahrain at the start of the season, as the couple shared a kiss in the Red Bull hospitality unit after Verstappen’s win.
A source told The Sun last August the drama had meant “weeks of hell” for the family and added: “Geri is very relieved.”
“It has been a horrible process but she has loyally and staunchly stood by Christian throughout the entire ordeal.”
In his recent interview, Horner continued to praise his singer wife and explained how she helped him overcome the scandal.
He added: “She saw through a lot of things from having an outside perspective and it is good to have that weight and measure. It is hugely important.”
The couple, who have been married since 2015, have a child together and two children from previous relationships.
Horner also claimed Red Bull’s success had opened him up to a scandal like this, with Netflix series Drive to Survive delving into the controversy.
He said: “What happened at the start of the year felt like a perfect storm.
“In life, it is a great lesson that the more success you have, the more of a target you become.”
Meanwhile, four-time world champion Verstappen has been unhappy with recent results, with the team a staggering 288 points behind leaders McLaren in the Constructors Championship.
Verstappen has been linked with a switch to Mercedes next season after finding himself 69 points behind drivers championship leader Oscar Piastri, and 61 points behind Lando Norris.
Red Bull has seen several high-profile figures leave over the past 18 months, including legendary designer Adrian Newey to Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to Sauber.
Mekies will lead Red Bull for the first time at the Belgian Grand Prix on July 27 after a three week break.
Alan Permane, currently Racing Director, is set to be promoted to team principal at Racing Bulls.
