Christian Horner gave leaving speech to hundreds of Red Bull staff moments before F1 sacking was announced
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SACKED Christian Horner gave a rousing leaving speech to his Red Bull team at their Milton Keynes HQ on Wednesday morning, SunSport can reveal.
The official departure of Red Bull's only ever team principal was announced shortly after he finished saying his goodbyes.
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Christian Horner gave a rousing leaving speech to his Red Bull team on Wednesday
Credit: AP
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The Brit made his final speech as Red Bull boss at around 10.30am
Credit: AFP
Horner, 51, was the longest reigning F1 boss after becoming commander in chief of the Austrian team during its inception in 2005.
The Brit made his final speech as Red Bull boss at around 10.30am, with hundreds of staff gathering to witness F1 history.
He reportedly gave no reason for his shock dismissal, with Laurent Mekies appointed as the new CEO of Red Bull Racing, stepping up from the Racing Bulls team.
But pressure has been building on Horner, with the news of his axing coming a year after the 'sexting scandal' that engulfed him over inappropriate texts he apparently sent to a female employee.
READ MORE ON HORNER
HORNER DOWNFALL How Horner survived sext scandal - only for career to collapse a year on
Despite keeping his job in the aftermath of the chaos, Red Bull have slumped down both the Drivers and Constructors standings.
Reports in May suggested Horner was on the way out and about to end his two-decade career with the Austrian team, with Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari allegedly then keen to nab him.
With the Red Bull car clearly inferior to McLaren's this season and Liam Lawson being kicked out of the team and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda after his lacklustre start, the 2025 season started badly for Horner.
Horner was forced to deny he was facing the sack before the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix three months ago.
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In May, he said: "It's always flattering to be associated with other teams, but my commitment is with Red Bull.
"It always has been and certainly will be for the long term."
Christian Horner Sacked by Red Bull After 20 Legendary Years
While McLaren overtook them on track, Red Bull also struggled to keep their winning team of senior technical and management staff together.
The departure of the world's best car designer, Adrian Newey, who moved to Aston Martin in a £30million-a-year deal, rocked Horner's credibility in the aftermath of his sexting scandal.
His reputation took another blow when sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who was thought of as Horner's potential successor, quit Red Bull to join Kick Sauber as team boss.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff's confirmation that he was in talks with Red Bull's prized asset Max Verstappen also put Horner's feet to the fire and may have been the tipping point.
At Silverstone, Horner insisted that four-time world champion Verstappen, 27, wanted to 'finish his career in a Red Bull car".
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Both the Dutchman and ex-F1 driver dad Jos, 53, have been disillusioned with Red Bull under Horner for well over a year.
Jos has previously called on Horner to quit amid their long-running feud after the sexting scandal news broke in March 2024.
Verstappen reportedly has a performance clause in his contract that allows either side to break their mammoth five-year deal, which runs until 2028, if he is fourth or below in the standings at the start of the summer break.
The four-time world champion is currently third in the standings, 69 points behind Drivers Championship leader Oscar Piastri, and 61 points behind Lando Norris.
Meanwhile, Horner led Red Bull to 124 Grand Prix wins, eight Drivers' Championships and six Constructors' Championships.
Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff said: "We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years.
"With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula One."
Mekies will lead Red Bull for the first time at the Belgian Grand Prix on July 27 after a three week break.
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