Revealed: How Christian Horner was informed of his shock sacking as Red Bull team principal, one year on from sexting scandal – ‘as clay pigeon shoot exposed his crumbling relationship with bosses’
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A new report has detailed how Christian Horner was informed of his shock Red Bull sacking earlier this week.
Horner was dismissed as team principal on Wednesday after 20 years at the constructor, having overseen the team’s transformation from upstart on the grid to winner of six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ championships.
While the official reason for Horner’s firing remains unstated, it comes almost exactly a year after the former team principal was engulfed in a high-profile investigation.
In February last year, the 51-year-old was accused of sexual harassment and coercive and controlling behaviour by a female employee. He was twice cleared, initially after an internal investigation conducted by a lawyer, and then by another lawyer who dismissed the female employee’s appeal.
The episode cast a long shadow over the team, though, and left Horner’s public image severely tarnished.
And now, German outlet Bild has revealed how the fallout from that turbulent period culminated in Horner’s dramatic sacking.
A new report has detailed how Christian Horner was informed of his shock Red Bull sacking
The 51-year-old was told face-to-face by advisor Helmut Marko (right) and global sports director Oliver Mintzlaff (left)
Horner met with Red Bull’s hierarchy in a London hotel suite and was shocked by the decision
The veteran team principal was reportedly informed of his Red Bull dismissal in a London hotel suite, blindsided by the energy drink empire’s top brass.
Horner was told face-to-face by advisor Helmut Marko and global sports director Oliver Mintzlaff on Tuesday afternoon. It is understood that he was left stunned by the news.
While the sacking may have shocked Horner personally, the groundwork had been quietly laid for weeks.
Mintzlaff reportedly began privately considering personnel changes during Red Bull’s home race – the Austrian Grand Prix – at the end of June.
A decisive conversation reportedly took place at Red Bull’s headquarters between Mintzlaff and the team’s billionaire owners, Chalerm Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz.
One week later, during a Zoom call, Mintzlaff confirmed the decision: Horner would be removed after the owners gave the green light.
It is understood that Horner’s expanding grip on power within the Red Bull structure, including control over marketing, technical, and engine departments, had caused friction at the top.
His reluctance to step back from these roles reportedly angered Yoovidhya, who at one point threatened to cut off contact unless Horner complied.
Mintzlaff reportedly began privately considering replacing Horner during the Austrian Grand Prix at the end of June
It is understood that Horner’s expanding grip on power within the Red Bull structure, including control over marketing, technical, and engine departments, had caused friction at the top
Horner’s reluctance to step back from these roles reportedly angered Red Bull owner Chalerm Yoovidhya, who at one point threatened to cut off contact unless Horner complied
Max Verstappen sided with Marko when the advisor threatened to quit during a power struggle between himself and Horner in early 2024
Perhaps the clearest sign that Horner’s position was becoming untenable came just days before the British Grand Prix.
At his annual clay pigeon shoot event near Oxford – a tradition typically attended by Red Bull’s inner circle – Yoovidhya and Max Verstappen were both conspicuously absent.
Verstappen excused himself with a supposed stomach bug, but his absence was noted, especially as tensions between driver and boss have grown.
On the track, Red Bull are in unfamiliar territory. After dominating the sport in recent years, they’ve slipped to fourth in the constructors’ standings.
Verstappen – winner of the last four titles – is only third in the Drivers’ Championship, behind the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Even more troubling for Red Bull is that Verstappen has an exit clause that allows him to leave if he isn’t in the top three by the end of July.
Throughout it all, Verstappen’s loyalty has remained with Marko, the man who discovered and backed him as a teenager.
When Marko threatened to quit during a power struggle between himself and Horner in early 2024, Verstappen made his stance clear. From then onwards, Horner’s position at the team was precarious.
