Christian Horner was told he had ‘three years’ to rebuild Red Bull weeks before he was sacked

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Christian Horner’s exit from Red Bull in 2025 shocked everyone in the paddock. It would have been a surprise to the 52-year-old as well, given that he did not get the time to rebuild the team.

Horner had been with Red Bull since they joined the sport in 2005, and guided the team to eight drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles. But in 2025, a crisis was hitting Milton Keynes.

Friction between several key members of staff, which resulted in the likes of Adrian Newey leaving, combined with Red Bull regressing on the track, led to Horner being sacked after the British GP.

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Horner was later paid between £52m and £80m to leave the team altogether in September. Laurent Mekies has since succeeded him and is now leading the charge in the new era, with Red Bull building and supplying their own engines in 2026.

Horner had been a key part of that behind the scenes, and would have expected to continue the rebuild process, especially after having meetings with Red Bull’s Thai owners.

Chalerm Yoovidhya told Christian Horner he had ‘three years’ to rebuild Red Bull – he sacked him weeks later

Chalerm Yoovidhya was Horner’s closest ally at Red Bull, but even he lost faith in the Brit as the team slumped in form on the track and had a toxic environment off it.

Journalist Matt Majiende recalled on The Race F1 Podcast how Yoovidhya met with Horner in 2025 to discuss the rebuild process. The team boss was told he had ‘three years’ to fix the team, only to be dismissed weeks later.

Discussing the 2026 car, Majiende said: “I think on the other side, the sort of chassis side, obviously there’s been problems with the car. Maybe we saw Miami things turning around, but that that’s not been as successful. But from the powertrain side, [it] was a promising start.

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“But there was definitely a nervousness. If you take Christian Horner, for example, he was talking to Chalerm Yoovidhya, went to Dubai to meet him a few weeks before he was removed and talking about getting things back on track and the rebuild of the team, how long is that going to take?

“And he said five years and he was told, ‘Well, you’ve got three years.’ As it was, it was only a few weeks, but it tells the tale that they felt this would be a slow rebuild process. So, time would be needed.

“It was interesting to see Miami, where they were, seeing Max Verstappen nearly getting pole was super, super impressive. And if they can carry on, we talked about the in-season development, and if they do that again. It’d be fascinating to see what happens.”

READ MORE: Who is Christian Horner? Everything to know from Red Bull past to net worth

What’s next for Christian Horner in Formula 1?

Horner is now free to negotiate with other teams and find a way back into the F1 paddock. He has been speaking to numerous outfits, as he looks to take on an ownership role.

Horner has been heavily linked with Alpine, with Otro Capital looking to sell their 24% stake in the team. He is not Renault’s preferred bidder, however, with Toto Wolff and Mercedes expressing an interest to buy the Enstone outfit.

This has caused major controversy, with Zak Brown sending a letter to the FIA, raising his concerns over Mercedes’ ownership of Alpine and the potential for them to become their B team.

Brown could have paved the way for Horner’s comeback, as he could now capitalise on Mercedes’ deal being blocked and strike a deal himself. Alternatively, he has also been linked with BYD, as the Chinese manufacturer look to join F1.