Christian Horner loses Red Bull job as final key ally ‘had enough’ after attending F1 race in person

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Christian Horner has been relieved of his duties as Red Bull Racing team principal after 20 years in charge.

Red Bull Racing made their Formula 1 debut in 2005 at the Australian Grand Prix and have enjoyed almost unparalleled success under the leadership of Christian Horner.

They won their first drivers’ championship with Sebastian Vettel in 2010, with the German going on to become a four-time world champion.

Max Verstappen has since matched that feat, while the Anglo-Austrian team have won six constructors’ championships in the meantime.

For context, Ferrari haven’t won a title since 2008, and only Mercedes can match their achievements since being on the grid.

However, there have been several key issues in recent years that Horner and his team have been unable to address.

And now, it’s believed that he lost the support of one final key ally in recent weeks, which led to Horner being sacked as Red Bull team principal.

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Chalerm Yoovidhya ‘had enough’ of Christian Horner after Austrian Grand Prix experience

Although Verstappen won his fourth title last season, cracks were beginning to show that even his supreme talent couldn’t cover up.

Sergio Perez was the latest in a long line of drivers who simply couldn’t handle Red Bull’s increasingly difficult-to-drive cars.

Red Bull dismissed Perez at the end of the season, but the subsequent promotions of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have been problematic, to say the least.

Chalerm Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz are in direct control of the team, and while the Austrian side of the business has previously had doubts about Horner, he’s always had the backing of the Thai portion of the business.

Yoovidhya and Mateschitz attended the Austrian Grand Prix, but witnessed a catastrophic race weekend for the team.

A report from De Telegraaf suggests that Yoovidhya ‘had enough’ of Horner’s tenure after the race, with the Briton ‘never considering resigning’ at any point.

Verstappen could only qualify seventh and was taken out by Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap.

Tsunoda finished last and repeated that feat at Silverstone, failing to get out of Q1 and then picking up a penalty for crashing into Franco Colapinto.

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What’s next for Max Verstappen and Red Bull after Christian Horner’s sacking?

One of the only positives remaining at Red Bull right now is Verstappen.

Despite the car’s problems, Tsunoda currently sits 17th in the drivers’ championship. He’s managed to win two races and finish on the podium on a further three occasions.

However, one of the biggest talking points of the season has been whether Verstappen will join Mercedes, with question marks over Red Bull’s long-term success.

Red Bull Powertrains are working with Ford to build their first independent power unit next season, and several key personnel, including Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley and Rob Marshall, have defected to other teams.

In the past, it’s been suggested that Verstappen would only stay at Red Bull if Horner left.

That might have been a motivating factor as to why Yoovidhya finally lost faith in Horner, and it’s up to Laurent Mekies to turn the ship around and help Red Bull return to the top of the standings.