Horner breaks silence on Red Bull sacking, claiming team became 'Christian Racing' under his watch

Christian Horner has broken his silence over his dismissal from Red Bull Racing, telling 60 Minutes Australia that corporate executives felt the team had become “Christian Racing” rather than Red Bull Racing — a power struggle he suggests ultimately cost him his job after two decades at Milton Keynes.

Horner was removed as Red Bull team principal on 9 July 2025, ending a tenure that spanned six constructors’ championships and four consecutive drivers’ titles with Max Verstappen. The circumstances of his exit had fuelled widespread speculation in the paddock ever since, with theories ranging from the conduct allegations that surfaced in early 2024 to Red Bull’s underwhelming form in the first half of 2025, when the team won just two grands prix.

In his most candid public appearance since the sacking, Horner described the manner of his departure as deeply painful. “I never imagined to be in this position,” he said, visibly tense. “It was a very difficult time because it was so… brutally executed. I mean, I put my heart and soul into that business, and suddenly to have it taken away was very tough.”

Horner pointed to a fundamental tension between his race operation and the Austrian parent company that had been building since the death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz. With Mateschitz gone, the corporate board’s appetite for Horner’s outsized influence over the team’s public identity appears to have diminished sharply.

“Perhaps I was deemed to have too much control,” Horner said. “I mean, I was told it was more like Christian Racing than Red Bull Racing.”

When pressed on whether Red Bull’s mid-2025 slump justified the decision, Horner pushed back forcefully, citing the team’s record under his leadership as evidence that the firing was about politics rather than performance. The source material does not reproduce his full statistical rebuttal, but Horner’s tone made clear he views the dismissal as a corporate power play rather than a verdict on his results.

Horner has spent the 15 months since his exit at his English country estate, drawing on a severance package whose terms have not been disclosed. Whether he returns to Formula 1 in any capacity remains an open question — one the interview did not resolve.