The Formula One world reels following the bombshell that Red Bull have fired Team Principal Christian Horner after 20 years at the team.
Horner has been Red Bull’s only ever team principal since their founding in 2005, and has led them to six Constructors’ and eight Drivers’ championships. He also was in charge of the development of two of the greatest F1 cars ever built, the RB7 and RB19.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Martin Brundle said Horner told him “no reason was given to him” for his release. Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies was promoted to Red Bull in the place of Horner.
F1 fans react to Christian Horner’s Red Bull firing
Horner was a controversial figure both in the paddock and among the F1 fan base.
Allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against him in February 2024 by a female colleague were dismissed following an appeal last summer. Horner denied the accusations throughout.
Prior to that, Horner remained unpopular due to his combative nature, particularly in his rivalry with other teams. He embraced a pantomime villain role, and acknowledged that winning consistently makes a team and its leader unpopular.
Needless to say, a lot of fans were happy to see the back of Horner as Red Bull team boss. One fan posted to X, “CHRISTIAN HORNER IS FINALLY OUT”, and another added, “Horner sacked?? Guys I used to pray for times like this.”
The future of driver Max Verstappen has been speculated over in recent weeks after it was reported that he was considering a move to Mercedes.
Max Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, called for Horner to be dismissed last year as part of a continuous rift between the team principal and his number one driver’s family.
That caused fans to speculate what this news means for Verstappen’s Red Bull future.
One fan posted, “NOW THE BIG QUESTION, One and a half years after Jos Verstappen called for Christian Horner to be fired, Horner as CEO and Team Principal is actually gone. Wild. This will no doubt have an impact on Max’s decision whether his future is still with Red Bull Racing or Mercedes.”
Another added to the speculation, saying, “Is Horner out because Max Verstappen signed with Mercedes or is he out so Max DOESN’T sign with Mercedes??”
The conversation also involved wondering what was next for Horner. Ferrari have had rumoured interest in the past when they were looking to replace Mattia Binotto. It was widely reported that Horner was a top candidate for the role, but the Brit said no.
Fans questioned whether that door is still open for Horner. One fan asked, “Would you want Christian Horner at Ferrari? 🤔 Ferrari once wanted Horner, that’s a known fact.”
Another dreaded the possibility of this, adding, “I can’t even celebrate Horner getting fired because Ferrari is the most stupid & unserious organization so they’re absolutely capable of signing him.”
Red Bull in tatters after Christian Horner firing
It’s true that Red Bull have fallen hard from the mighty heights of 2022. They went from runaway champions, failing to win only one race that year, to no better than the fourth fastest car on the grid in two seasons.
The team is nearly unrecognisable from where it was in 2022. Adrian Newey, a massively successful aerodynamicist responsible for the design of championship winning Williams, McLarens and Red Bulls in his 45-year Formula One career, left for Aston Martin.
Additionally Jonathan Wheatley, their well regarded Sporting Director, left for Sauber, who have outscored Red Bull comfortably in their last four races.
Now with Horner gone, the main figureheads of the team’s successes over the last two decades are out of the door. They’re a brand new team, whose future is bleakly uncertain.