On 9 July, Red Bull dropped a bombshell on the Formula 1 world, sacking long-time Team Principal, Christian Horner. It felt like the move was inevitable for a while, but it was the timing of the move that was shocking.
McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, was just as shocked by the timing of it as anybody, but he believes Horner will be back in Formula 1 sooner than later.
Brown thinks Horner could be back in Motorsport soon
In an interview with TSN, Brown revealed that he wasn’t surprised by the move, but was caught off guard by the timing of it. He also hinted at the internal drama that has plagued Red Bull for well over a year now being the cause for his dismissal.
“Maybe the timing [is a surprise], but not the result. I think there’s been a lot of drama there the last couple of years, and it doesn’t seem like that drama has been calming down – maybe been getting worse.”
Given Horner’s age and experience, Brown expects him to be back in motorsport soon. Although, he is still Red Bull’s employee, he can always move along to pastures new.
“Given his age and his history in motor racing, I’d be surprised if he didn’t show up somewhere in motor racing. I don’t know his other interests, whether he wants to go run a football team or what have you. So, we’ll see.”
Horner spent 20 years with Red Bull and led them to six constructor’s championships and eight driver’s championships. He was the longest-tenured and one of the most successful team principals on the grid. Some team is going to want to add him to their roster in the near future.
Red Bull’s current downfall
Red Bull built one of the most dominant cars we’ve ever seen in Formula 1 in 2023. The RB19 was responsible for winning 21 of the 22 races that season, and it looked like they’d be the team to beat for the rest of the ground effect era. However, that didn’t come to fruition.
In February of 2024, Horner was accused of sexual harassment and controlling behavior. He was cleared of the allegations by an internal investigation, but that didn’t stop things from going south.
Over the past two years, Red Bull have lost key personnel members such as Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley and Rob Marshall. This has not been the only factor in their decline, but it has certainly played a role.
Former Red Bull Executive Exposes the Turning Point That Led to His Shock Departure From the Team
Despite those losses, Max Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races in 2024. It looked like it would be another season of Red Bull dominance, but as the season progressed and other teams brought upgrades, they quickly fell behind. Verstappen would go on to win just two of the final 14 races, and Red Bull fell to P3 in the Constructor’s Championship.
The start of the 2025 season hasn’t been any better for Red Bull. They’re currently P4 in the constructor’s and Verstappen has won just two of the 12 races thus far.
Red Bull are no longer as dominant as they once were, and Horner’s firing officially signaled the end of an era.
