Shocking news rocked the Formula 1 world today: Christian Horner, who has been at the helm of Red Bull Racing since its inception in 2005, was fired effective immediately from the team. He has been replaced by Laurent Mekies, who was team principal at Racing Bulls', its sister team.
It is an unexpected news, but Red Bull had been languishing for the past 18 months, losing the constructor's title last year and with virtually no options to improve their position this season, currently fourth in the 2025 season.
The inability of Red Bull to build a consistent car even with Max Verstappen at the driver's seat (often putting the blame on other drivers like Sergio Pérez and Liam Lawson), the release of engineer Adrian Newey in May 2024, and the allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment by an employee last year, even if Horner was cleared, eroded his image both outside and inside the company.
"We thank him for his tireless and exceptional work. He has been instrumental in building this Team into one of the most successful in F1, with eight Drivers' Championships and six Constructors' Championships. Thank you for everything Christian, you will forever remain an important part of our team's history", said Red Bull in a public statement.
Mekies will now be in charge of the team, who during the 20 years with Horner won six constructors' championships and eight drivers' titles. And Racing Bulls will now be in charge of lan Permane, who was Racing Director.