Christian Horner successor revealed as Red Bull Racing boss is ‘sacked’ after 20 years in charge

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Christian Horner has left his position as CEO of Red Bull Racing after 20 years in charge at the team.

The development comes after weeks of speculation surrounding Max Verstappen, who was rumoured to be in talks with Mercedes over a switch as early as 2026.

Verstappen’s management reportedly issued an ultimatum for Red Bull, which involved Horner rescinding some of his responsibilities within the team.

Now he has left the team altogether after driving them to eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ titles.

Journalist Erik van Haren broke the story on X (formerly Twitter) and has revealed who Horner’s successor is set to be at the Milton Keynes squad.

Christian Horner to be replaced by Laurent Mekies after being ‘sacked’ by Red Bull

The news was delivered to Red Bull employees early on Wednesday morning, with Van Haren stating that he had been ‘sacked’ by the team after 20 years.

“The bomb has dropped at Red Bull Racing. Team boss and CEO Christian Horner has been sacked after more than 20 years.”

In a follow-up post, he revealed that his successor is set to be Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies as CEO of the racing team.

“Horner is succeeded by Laurent Mekies, who is promoted from sister team Racing Bulls.”

Laurent Mekies joins Red Bull from Racing Bulls

Mekies joins the team after extensive experience in F1, including stints at the FIA, Ferrari, and most recently at the Red Bull sister team.

He previously worked at Racing Bulls under their Toro Rosso and Minardi guise, where he was part of their first victory with Sebastian Vettel.

Horner leaves Red Bull having been appointed as team principal in 2005, and was the longest-serving team principal on the grid.

Red Bull’s Thai owners were seen greeting Horner ‘coldly’ in Austria, suggesting they were unhappy with their recent performances.