Red Bull made the shocking decision to sack their team principal, Christian Horner, halfway through the 2025 season. Horner had worked for Red Bull for the entirety of their 20-year history in F1, winning eight drivers’ world championships and being crowned constructors’ champions six times.
Reports claim that some of the reasons linked with Horner’s sacking were due to Max Verstappen. Some sources claim there were tensions behind the scenes between Verstappen’s team and Horner. Other reports say that Red Bull was given an ultimatum to choose between keeping Verstappen or Horner.
Despite these reports, Max Verstappen had come out and backed the 51-year-old publicly just a week before Horner’s dismissal. Verstappen believes it is too easy just to blame the man in charge.
Max Verstappen had jumped in to defend Christian Horner
Red Bull suffered an alarming decline over the last 12 months. Verstappen was able to wrap up his fourth world championship, but this was due to a strong start. The Dutchman could only manage two wins in the final fourteen races, having won seven beforehand. This was after a 2023 season where the world champion had secured 19 race wins in 22 Grand Prix.
However, despite the drop in performance, Max Verstappen defended his boss. Speaking before the British GP, he had said: “It is always easy to say when things are going well, you say: ‘Oh, the management is working. If you asked the question back in 2023, what is the best way, you would say: ‘Red Bull is doing great, so everything is working well.”
Max Verstappen’s Camp Breaks Silence After Christian Horner Axe and Title Hopes Collapse
“So it is easy [to blame the management], but it is something I don’t think is negative. The balance issues this year have been a bit better, but in some areas we are a little bit weak, and in low-speed corners, we are not that good. Particularly in the medium speed, that is where McLaren is really strong, and we are not able to match that.”
Horner was in trouble this season, after the team had become the fourth fastest car. This is also, in turn, due to the second seat not scoring points. The decisions for the second seat: re-signing Perez to a new contract, promoting Liam Lawson too early and Yuki Tsunoda not performing, were another nail in Horner’s coffin.
Can Red Bull recover post-Christian Horner?
Christian Horner has been the team principal for every race in their 20-year history. The Belgium GP will mark a new era for Red Bull. They have brought in Laurent Mekies, who was in charge of Racing Bulls. Mekies knows the Red Bull family well, but now has the pressure of managing the senior team.
Mekies has made Racing Bulls a competitive team this season. They are regularly challenging for the lower points and look competitive in all sessions. However, the former Ferrari employee has a lot to do for Red Bull to be a challenger soon.
🔁| A switch to the main team for Laurent Mekies!
He was previously Team Principal at Racing Bulls!#F1 https://t.co/yuPqQy6Vs9
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 9, 2025
Horner’s sacking mid-season looks like a strange time to pull the plug. However, it might be to help Mekies acclimate to running a different, front-running team, and is expected to challenge for wins and championships. This has given Mekies half a season to learn the ropes as Red Bull won’t be challenging McLaren in the championship.
Next season looks to be tough for Red Bull. They are creating their first ever powertrain, and compared to Mercedes, they currently look off the pace. Mekies has it all to do to provide Verstappen with a car capable of challenging. If not, there is a chance Max could be the next big name to leave the Austrian team.
