Craig Slater gives interesting insight into how Christian Horner was ‘looking’ at his final race as Red Bull boss

Follow us on Google Discover

Christian Horner has been sacked from Red Bull in a bombshell move for the Milton Keynes squad amid a run of poor results on track.

The move comes amid speculation over Max Verstappen’s position within the team, with him reportedly in contact with Mercedes over a potential seat for as early as the 2026 season.

Verstappen’s camp wanted Horner to reduce his responsibilities within the team, while Red Bull’s Thai owners also gave Horner a ‘cold’ response when he was greeted at the Austrian GP.

With the loss of key staff within Red Bull’s inner success circle, including design guru Adrian Newey, Sauber’s Jonathan Wheatley and McLaren’s Rob Marshall, the situation became unsustainable.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, journalist Craig Slater revealed how Horner looked during his final race in the British Grand Prix paddock with Red Bull.

Christian Horner was ‘looking pretty sombre’ at final F1 race with Red Bull

Horner leaves Red Bull after 20 years at the helm, having overseen 124 wins, eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ world titles for the team.

Slater revealed how Horner looked at the recent race at Silverstone, where Verstappen finished fifth after a spin and Yuki Tsunoda finished in last place.

“There is a personal matter in his life now, which I don’t think it’s connected necessarily to any of this,” said Slater.

“But he’s got some personal issues to deal with, which are obviously a burden on him at this particular minute. So he was looking pretty sombre and serious in the Silverstone paddock.”

Christian Horner’s replacement named as Racing Bull’s team principal

Horner’s replacement has been named as Laurent Mekies, who has been promoted from his role as Racing Bulls team principal.

Mekies has previously held roles with the FIA and Ferrari, having also made his debut with Arrows and then Minardi in F1 before it became Toro Rosso.

Mekies will be replaced by Alan Permane at Racing Bulls, who steps up having been their sporting director since last year.

The Milton Keynes squad heads into the halfway point of the season sitting fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.