Christian Horner SACKED: Red Bull Confirm Dismissal With Official Statement

In a dramatic turn of events, Christian Horner has been sacked as Team Principal of the Red Bull Formula One team. The news was confirmed by an official statement released by Red Bull on Wednesday morning.

Horner, who has led Red Bull Racing since its debut as a full constructor in 2005, has been replaced by Laurent Mekies, the former Team Principal of Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s sister team in Formula One.

The 51-year-old was the longest-serving Team Principal in F1. His departure follows a turbulent year marked by allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against him in February 2024 by a female colleague. Although the complaint was dismissed after an appeal last summer, it cast a long shadow over his position.

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Red Bull’s parent company in Austria conducted an internal grievance procedure, which was later leaked to the public along with hundreds of messages allegedly exchanged between Horner and his accuser.

An independent barrister cleared Horner of any wrongdoing, and the complainant was suspended on full pay. Her appeal was subsequently dismissed.

As of now, Red Bull has not provided an official reason for Horner’s dismissal. However, reports from Germany and the Netherlands suggest that negotiations regarding the terms of his departure are ongoing.

The team’s statement simply thanked Horner for his contributions:

“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.”