Last week’s major headline in Formula 1 centered around Christian Horner’s dismissal as team principal by Red Bull.
Horner had been at the helm of the Red Bull team since its inception in 2005, guiding them to eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships.
A statement released on July 9th read: “Red Bull has relieved Christian Horner of his operational responsibilities, effective today.”
He has been succeeded as team principal and chief executive of Red Bull Racing by Laurent Mekies, who has been promoted from their sister team, Racing Bulls.
BBC Sport F1 correspondent Andrew Benson addresses the pressing questions surrounding these developments.
What will Christian Horner’s future role be within Red Bull? The Red Bull statement indicates his removal from operational duties, but not a complete severance. – Mike
To begin, let’s clarify Red Bull’s official statements.
Red Bull communicated that it had “relieved Christian Horner of his operational responsibilities.”
No further statements were made regarding Horner’s employment status. Horner himself addressed the matter in his farewell address to Red Bull staff, stating: “I will remain employed by the company, but the operational duties will be transitioned.”
However, this does not imply that Horner will maintain a future role at Red Bull. His involvement with Red Bull has concluded.
He has been terminated as team principal and chief executive officer of the F1 team, and once a severance agreement is finalized, his formal employment will also cease.
While the finalization of the agreement may take time, any remaining connections or influence Horner possesses with Red Bull are effectively severed.
There is considerable discussion about the Verstappen camp’s influence within Red Bull. How has Jos Verstappen, a racing driver’s father not on the company payroll, attained such influence in its operations? – Neil
Jos Verstappen’s association with Red Bull is solely based on his role as Max Verstappen’s father and a key member of the decision-making group for the four-time world champion’s career, which includes Max, Jos, and their manager, Raymond Vermeulen.
However, Jos Verstappen was not involved in Red Bull’s decision to dismiss Horner as the F1 team principal.
The decision was made by Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull’s chief executive officer of corporate projects and investments, with support from the Thai majority shareholder, Chalerm Yoovidhya. Mark Mateschitz, son of the late co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz, who inherited his father’s 49% shareholding, also had input.
Yoovidhya previously intervened to protect Horner in February of last year, following allegations of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behavior made by a female employee. Red Bull conducted two internal investigations, both of which dismissed the allegations.
Yoovidhya and Mintzlaff have been aware for at least 18 months that Jos Verstappen harbored animosity towards Horner and believed his continued leadership would be detrimental to the team.
However, this was not the primary reason for Horner’s dismissal. He was terminated because he lost Yoovidhya’s support, in addition to Mintzlaff and Mateschitz’s reservations. This shift in support reportedly occurred after a meeting of Red Bull’s leadership in Dubai approximately five to six weeks ago.
The precise details and rationale remain unclear, but multiple factors appear to have contributed.
Horner reportedly challenged the views of Red Bull’s senior management, which is typical of someone seeking ultimate control.
The team’s performance had declined, and there were no indications that Horner had a strategy to address the issue. Several senior personnel had also departed. Furthermore, the unresolved sexual harassment allegations remain a significant issue.
In summary, Mintzlaff appears to have determined that a change was necessary, and Yoovidhya was no longer inclined to protect Horner.
Christian Horner’s final race as Red Bull team principal was the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 6th.
Do you believe Christian Horner will join Alpine as team principal, given his close friendship with [executive adviser] Flavio Briatore? – Carol
Following Horner’s departure from Red Bull, there has been speculation that he would be a highly desirable candidate for several F1 teams.
Alpine has been mentioned as a possibility, although they have recently appointed Steve Nielsen as managing director—effectively the team principal—who will begin his role in September.
Ferrari has also been suggested, along with the potential for Horner to return as a co-owner, with Alpine reportedly offering a 20% share for sale.
However, is Horner as attractive an option as some suggest?
He was a highly successful team principal at Red Bull, leading the team to eight drivers’ titles, six constructors’ titles, and 124 grand prix victories during his tenure.
Under Horner’s leadership, Red Bull demonstrated agility and strategic aggression that often outmaneuvered their rivals.
However, any team considering employing him must weigh these benefits against potential drawbacks, which were factors in Red Bull’s decision to remove him.
Firstly, Horner typically seeks complete control. However, this level of autonomy is not feasible for a team principal whose team is part of a larger organization.
At Alpine, for example, he would ultimately be accountable to Renault’s board. At Ferrari, he would report to chairman John Elkann and chief executive Benedetto Vigna. The ultimate authority would reside with them, not Horner. Could he accept this?
Additionally, there is the question of whether a single leader remains as effective in modern F1.
Consider McLaren’s success with chief executive officer Zak Brown focusing on the commercial aspects, while Andrea Stella serves as team principal responsible for the team’s operations.
Horner aimed to manage all of these responsibilities, and more, himself.
Furthermore, Red Bull’s performance had clearly declined under Horner’s leadership.
A Horner-led Red Bull team without design chief Adrian Newey has not been as formidable as in the past.
Finally, the allegations against Horner remain unresolved.
While Red Bull cleared him in two internal investigations, there has been no external resolution. Until this matter is resolved, any company employing Horner would be taking a significant reputational risk.
Is Verstappen more likely to stay at Red Bull with Horner gone?
Horner’s demise at Red Bull: What we know happened and why
As a long-time Sauber fan since my first trip to Silverstone in 1993, what factors have contributed to the team’s recent improved performance and Nico Hulkenberg’s long-awaited podium finish? – Andrew
This question has two parts: Sauber’s increased competitiveness and Hulkenberg’s performance.
Firstly, the car. Sauber introduced upgrades at the Spanish, Austrian, and British Grands Prix.
The key upgrade was a new floor in Spain, designed to generate downforce across a wider range of conditions. This floor was further refined in Austria and Silverstone, along with various front and rear wing adjustments.
Hulkenberg drove exceptionally well to finish ninth in Spain, before benefiting from new soft tires after the late safety car to secure an impressive fifth-place finish.
His outstanding third-place finish at Silverstone—his first podium—resulted from making the correct tire choices at the optimal times in the changing conditions.
Since Spain, Sauber has been the fourth-highest scoring team, and Hulkenberg the sixth-best scoring driver. Sauber has risen to sixth place in the constructors’ championship.
Improvements in race operations, such as significantly better pit stops, have also been achieved since Jonathan Wheatley joined as team principal from Red Bull.
For the first time since Audi announced its acquisition of Sauber as the foundation for its factory entry into F1 in 2026, the team has begun to show genuine promise.
Hulkenberg’s first podium ’emotional rollercoaster’
Horner sacked as Red Bull team principal
The rain at Silverstone was severe enough to warrant a safety car, yet no one opted to use the wet tires. What are the issues with the wet tires, and what will Pirelli do to address them? – Tim
For years, Pirelli’s extreme wet tires were dismissed as ‘safety-car tires,’ only suitable for use behind a safety car.
This was because the extreme wet tires were not particularly effective, while the intermediate tires were superior. Consequently, drivers preferred to use the intermediate tires as soon as possible, as they were faster in nearly all conditions.
However, Pirelli has revised the extreme wet tires for this year, resulting in a much-improved product.
Despite these improvements, the intermediate tires will always be preferred due to their greater versatility, as they can be used in heavy rain and even in nearly dry conditions.
While the wet tires may offer more grip in very wet conditions, the greater flexibility of the intermediate tires will always be advantageous when conditions are variable, as they were at Silverstone.
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