Christian Horner shares the moment he realized Red Bull would let him go
Christian Horner, the former Red Bull boss, has always been one of the most talked-about figures in F1. So, his sudden exit from the sport was sadly not that surprising. Now, he’s opened up about how it all happened and what went through his mind when he got the news.
After two decades of success with Red Bull, Horner’s exit shows just how tough and ruthless Formula 1 can be—some even call it the ‘Piranha Tank.’
Horner took charge of Red Bull in 2005 and turned the team into one of the most successful in F1 history, winning eight Drivers’ and six Constructors’ titles. His work transformed the old, slow Ford-run Jaguar team into the strong Red Bull we know today. He brought his own experience from running his Arden racing team and made the team more efficient and focused.
But when Red Bull’s founder Dietrich Mateschitz passed away in 2022, things started to change. Horner noticed that the company’s corporate side was trying to take back control. Even so, he says the way he was let go still shocked him.
The night after the 2025 British GP, where Max Verstappen qualified on pole but struggled in the race, Horner got a message asking him to come to London the next day. Though the meeting was said to be about marketing, Horner quickly sensed it was about something else. Waiting for him were key people like Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s CEO Oliver Mitzlaff, and the head of HR.
Horner says the meeting hit him like a train. He didn’t expect such an abrupt decision. They told him the team wanted to head in a different direction and didn’t offer much explanation. The main point was that the team felt it had become “too much about Christian Horner.” When he asked for specifics, they said it felt more like “Christian Horner Racing” than Red Bull Racing.
Horner shared his side of the story too. He said there always had to be a clear leader, but he worked for Red Bull all along. Everything he did was for the team and the company, and he believes he did a good job during his time there.
Only a week before his firing, Horner had even hosted a barbecue at his home with Marko and Laurent Mekies, who would replace him as team principal.
In 2024, Horner had faced complaints about workplace misconduct, but even after those issues, he felt the company’s control was tightening and changes were coming.
Since leaving Red Bull, Horner has been linked to various F1 teams and projects, but nothing has taken off yet. In an interview, he called Ferrari “the biggest brand in Formula 1” and “the dream” team but also “a sleeping giant.” He hinted that Ferrari was the only team where he wouldn’t want an ownership stake, which many people took as a clear interest in Scuderia.
Interestingly, Ferrari offered him a job four years ago, but Horner turned it down, likely because he felt he wouldn’t have enough control there.
Horner has also been friendly with Alpine’s boss Flavio Briatore and was linked to a possible stake in the team, but Renault, the main owner, blocked the deal.
He’s even met with BYD, a top electric car maker from China, to talk about future F1 plans, but so far nothing has moved forward.
There were also rumors about Horner joining Aston Martin. However, Adrian Newey, Aston Martin’s boss and former Red Bull technical director, denied this in July, saying the team is happy with its current leadership and doesn’t have plans for big changes.
All in all, while Christian Horner’s time at Red Bull is over, it looks like he’s still exploring his options in the F1 world.