The longest-serving Team Principal in Formula 1, Christian Horner, has been abruptly removed from his position at Red Bull Racing. On Wednesday, the team confirmed Horner’s immediate departure and announced that Laurent Mekies, currently heading the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, would assume the Team Principal role for the senior squad. This unexpected decision comes amid growing uncertainty about Max Verstappen Red Bull future, signaling a significant shake-up within the organization.
Insiders reveal that deep-seated tensions within Red Bull’s management structure, described as “fault lines,” have recently fractured support for Horner, culminating in this decisive change. According to Sky Sports F1 analyst Craig Slater, Horner’s chief ally inside the company has withdrawn support in recent days, contributing to this seismic shift.
Internal Divisions Behind Red Bull’s Leadership Crisis
The origins of the turmoil run deep, tied to the divided ownership of the Red Bull corporation. Nearly half of the business—49%—is controlled by the Mateschitz family, led by Mark Mateschitz, son of founder Dietrich Mateschitz. This Austrian faction primarily oversees sporting ventures, including the Formula 1 team. The remaining 51% is Thai-owned, with Chalerm Yoovidhya holding a significant stake.
“In terms of why he and Red Bull have parted ways, we have to look at the fault lines which have been at that team for some time now. Part of that is the divided ownership of the team. 49% of the Red Bull company is owned by the Mateschitz family,”
said Slater.
“51% was Thai owned. Chalerm Yoovidhya who had previously been an ally of Christian Horner’s and had supported him while those investigations into some issues at the company involving Christian Horner that had been ongoing for the last couple of years, the female member of staff making allegations against Christian Horner which two internal investigations cleared him of,”
he added.
“Chalerm Yoovidhya stood by Christian Horner during this time. My understanding is that support eventually has gone away.”
This withdrawal of key support within the ownership ranks further destabilized Horner’s standing.
Frictions with the Verstappen Family and Growing Paddock Tensions
Another significant fault line appeared last year, centered on escalating tensions between Horner and Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen’s father. Despite Red Bull’s competitive form early last season, pressure and unrest brewed behind closed doors.
Jos Verstappen openly criticized Horner, reflecting tensions in a candid interview:
“There is tension here while he remains in position,”
he warned.
“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
Following those remarks, an intense confrontation between Jos Verstappen and Horner unfolded in the Red Bull paddock ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Sky Italy circulating a brief video showed animated exchanges involving Horner’s expressive gestures. This incident fueled rumors of a “Civil War” inside Red Bull and sparked new speculation about Max Verstappen possibly switching to Mercedes.
A subsequent meeting in Dubai involving Horner and Verstappen’s representatives appeared to calm tensions momentarily. However, ongoing struggles with the 2025 season’s car eroded recovery efforts, leaving underlying conflicts exposed.
Additional Leadership Changes and Departures Impacting Red Bull
Red Bull’s instability deepened with multiple key departures in recent months. Jonathan Wheatley, the former Sporting Director, left to take on a Team Principal role at Sauber, while lead designer Rob Marshall has enjoyed early success at McLaren. Perhaps most strikingly, Adrian Newey, the legendary designer long synonymous with Red Bull’s dominance, has moved to Aston Martin, leaving a notable void in Red Bull’s engineering leadership.
On the technical side, the impending exit of Honda as Red Bull’s power unit supplier signals a major transition. Honda will align with Aston Martin, while Red Bull develops its own power units alongside Ford, set to debut in the 2026 season.
Meanwhile, questions over Red Bull’s driver lineup have added to the turmoil. The oft-discussed “second seat of death” problem persisted. Though Sergio Pérez started last season strongly with multiple podium finishes before signing a contract extension, he lost form later on and was ultimately dismissed after 2024 despite the deal. His replacement, Liam Lawson, was demoted after only two races in 2025, with Yuki Tsunoda taking over. Tsunoda’s performance, however, has been disappointing, garnering just seven points across ten races while the team’s RB21 car has underperformed relative to expectations.
These accumulated setbacks and departures underscore leadership challenges now landing squarely on Horner’s shoulders before his dismissal.
The Power Struggle Behind Horner’s Downfall
The saga culminates in an internal power struggle that Christian Horner ultimately lost within Red Bull’s high-pressure environment. Sky Sports F1 reports have highlighted strained relations between Horner and the Verstappen family as a critical factor in the decision, especially involving Jos Verstappen.
“The other aspect to all of this has been the uneasy relationship between Horner and let’s call it the Verstappens, particularly Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen’s father,”
explained Slater. He acknowledged Horner’s pivotal role in transforming the team,
“I think this is the ultimate end of the power struggle which has been apparent in that team in the last couple of years and ultimately it’s a power struggle which Christian Horner has lost.”
Former driver and pundit Karun Chandhok added:
“There was clearly a public showing of an internal war between certain parts of Red Bull and Christian,”
noting Verstappen’s dominant influence within the team.
“A huge amount of focus in that team is on Max Verstappen. Without Max Verstappen that team would be struggling. Yuki Tsunoda finished last in the last couple of races. It’s put a huge amount of power within that team on Max Verstappen and his camp and his team.”
What the Leadership Change Means for Max Verstappen’s Future
The immediate question arising from Horner’s sacking is whether this move will secure Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull. Dutch journalist Erik van Haren, regarded as an authority on Verstappen matters, doubts that’s a given.
“You’re getting now a lot of reports and people thinking okay Horner is out, so that means Verstappen will stay. I don’t think it’s that clear. I think what for the Verstappens is most important is that the team is making steps with the car. They have a lot of problems with this car,”
van Haren stated on Wednesday.
He described the decision to remove Horner as a move aimed partly at calming internal turmoil and possibly persuading Verstappen to remain.
“They want more performance and then they can make the decision: is this our team for the future, yes or no. I think this decision [with Horner] has been made to get more peace in the team but also maybe to say to Verstappen, maybe for you this is a good moment to stay.”
However, van Haren emphasized no assurances exist:
“Maybe it gives Red Bull a better chance to keep him in the team but that’s not a guarantee at this point.”
He predicted Verstappen would reach a decision shortly, before the summer break, closely monitored on how Red Bull’s car performs in the coming weeks. Ultimately, the car’s competitiveness remains the critical factor for the reigning world champion.
The 2026 Regulations and Verstappen’s Pending Decision
Formula 1 is gearing up for its most radical technical upheaval in decades, with 2026 bringing simultaneous changes to chassis and power units. This uncertainty plays a major role in Verstappen’s evaluation of his options. Rumors about a potential Verstappen move to Mercedes have gained traction amid Red Bull’s recent struggles and Mercedes’ perceived readiness for the new regulations.
In his final FIA press conference as Red Bull Team Principal, Horner addressed the unpredictable nature of the 2026 season:
“2026 is going to be a transformational year. It’s the biggest rule change in Formula 1 probably in the last 50 years where both chassis and power unit are being introduced at the same time. Nobody, with hand on heart, can know what the pecking order is going to be. It could be either one of these gentlemen [on] either side of me. It could be Ferrari. It could be Mercedes. It could be anyone.”
He cautioned that despite speculation favoring a Mercedes switch for Verstappen, there are no guarantees:
“There’s an awful lot of subjectiveness to 2026, and it’ll only be really this time next year that you’ll have a clear indication of what that pecking order is. So, there are no guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be a better proposition.”
This statement can be read as Horner’s final appeal to Verstappen, emphasizing that the future remains uncertain and loyalty might pay dividends once the new era begins.
An Uncertain Future as Red Bull Looks Ahead
Christian Horner’s removal marks one of the most dramatic leadership changes Formula 1 has seen this decade. It signals deeper organizational issues at Red Bull, from fractured ownership allegiances to friction with key figures such as the Verstappen family and significant technical and personnel losses. While the appointment of Laurent Mekies brings fresh leadership, the team faces the daunting task of regained stability and competitive performance.
At the heart of this shift remains the question of Max Verstappen Red Bull future. Despite the management reshuffle, Verstappen’s commitment is still uncertain. How Red Bull performs in the remainder of 2025, and especially in the season-defining months before the summer break, will heavily influence his decision. The full impact of Red Bull’s internal upheaval is yet to be seen, but the stakes have never been higher for one of Formula 1’s most dominant teams and its reigning world champion.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Who is Max Verstappen’s baby daughter?
A. Max Verstappen has become a father! The 27-year-old Formula One driver and his girlfriend Kelly Piquet have had their first child, a daughter named Lily. They shared this happy news together on Instagram.
Q. Is Penelope not Max Verstappen’s daughter?
A. In 2025, Penelope became a big sister when Piquet and Verstappen had their first daughter, Lily. Penelope enjoys many activities and shares a close relationship with Max Verstappen. Here is all the important information about Kelly Piquet’s daughter, Penelope.
Q. Who is Max Verstappen’s girlfriend’s baby daddy?
A. In July 2019, Piquet had a daughter named Penelope with Daniil Kvyat, a Formula 1 driver she was seeing then. The day after Penelope was born, Kvyat finished third in the German Grand Prix, his first podium in three years. He dedicated this achievement to Piquet and their new baby.
Q. Does Max Verstappen support LGBT?
A. Max expressed that he respects the LGBTQ+ community, but he feels it’s now more of an agenda than a movement each June. Eliza Burnett called this a polite way to describe it.
