Christian Horner sacked: Unravelling the ups and downs of his tenure

In early 2005, Christian Horner took the helm as team principal of the brand-new Red Bull Racing. The team emerged from the acquisition of Jaguar Racing by Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz. Horner, then just 31 years old, had previously been active in Formula 3000. Within the paddock, he was seen as young and ambitious, and he was given free rein.

With David Coulthard and later Mark Webber as drivers, Red Bull made steady progress. In 2007, Adrian Newey was brought in as a technical mastermind. This move proved crucial for the team's success later on.

The major breakthrough came in 2009, with Sebastian Vettel and a revolutionary car. In 2010, Red Bull clinched its first world title in both the constructors' and drivers' championships. It marked the beginning of a dominant period: between 2010 and 2013, Vettel secured four titles, and Red Bull won the constructors' championship four times. Horner emerged as a respected figure in the paddock.

Following the introduction of the hybrid engine formula in 2014, Red Bull lagged behind. The Renault engine was unreliable and subpar. Horner often clashed with Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul. During this period, a young Max Verstappen made his debut at Toro Rosso, and halfway through 2016, he switched to Red Bull. In Spain, he immediately won his first race for the team.

Red Bull switched to Honda engines, and Max Verstappen became the absolute team leader. In 2021, the team had a titanic battle with Mercedes. After a thrilling season, Verstappen won his first world title in Abu Dhabi – Red Bull's first since 2013. Horner played a key role, acting as the team's public spokesperson during the heated title fight with Toto Wolff.

With the introduction of new regulations in 2022, Red Bull struck mercilessly. Verstappen was supremely dominant and easily won his second and third world titles. Horner celebrated successes, but the first cracks appeared. In 2023, Rob Marshall moved to McLaren, and later it was announced that Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley would also leave the team. Rumours of tension within the team increased.

In early 2024, it was revealed that Horner was internally investigated for misconduct. Although he was cleared twice, the case dragged on. The employee in question took it to court. At the same time, a power struggle emerged within Red Bull, with Thai majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya backing Horner, but the Austrian branch clearly stayed distant.

After a dominant 2023, Red Bull fell back. McLaren and Ferrari overtook Red Bull in the championship. Verstappen still won two races, but his teammates hardly contributed. Tsunoda and Lawson failed to impress, and Red Bull stood fourth in the constructors' championship. Meanwhile, more and more key figures left the team, including Jonathan Wheatley, Will Courtenay, and Adrian Newey. Rumours of Verstappen's possible departure grew.

After another disappointing weekend at Silverstone, the verdict is in: Christian Horner is immediately relieved of his duties. Amid emergency deliberations between shareholders Chalerm Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz, along with sports director Oliver Mintzlaff, it was decided that the 51-year-old Brit must go. His contract until 2030 has been terminated early. He is succeeded by Laurent Mekies.