The Christian Horner 2025 public appearance that made Red Bull chiefs realise they had a ‘bigger issue’ this season

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Formula 1 is extremely competitive and every team in the paddock are aiming to win both championships.

However, Red Bull and all of their competitors are equally aware that F1 is also a huge marketing opportunity.

Dietrich Mateschitz’s company didn’t have decades of racing pedigree to fall back on when they made their Formula 1 debut in 2005.

But, they were still a recognisable brand within F1, having been the title sponsors of Sauber before buying the Jaguar team.

Christian Horner has overseen Red Bull becoming one of the most powerful teams in Formula 1, and the 14 championships the team have won during his tenure are an extraordinary feat.

However, Max Verstappen has lost some popularity this season, and if Red Bull recognise that the brand’s popularity is ultimately the most important part of their involvement in Formula 1, then it might explain Horner’s exit.

READ MORE: Know all about Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth to wife

F1 75 booing of Christian Horner a ‘key moment’ for Red Bull chiefs

Horner was booed by F1 fans when he arrived on the stage in London at this season’s F1 75 launch event.

Red Bull were also the only team who didn’t ask their drivers, Max Verstappen and then Liam Lawson, to speak to the crowd.

Journalist Christian Nimmervoll was speaking on the Autosport Podcast about Horner’s reputation with the team and said: “I think the team from the outside world, pretty much made the impression, there’s people getting along with each other, not being a lot of love lost between the UK-Horner camp of the team, and the Austrian-Helmut Marko camp of the team, but still, they got along.

“But I think what happened, Christian kind of had the Thai owners on his side by telling them, look, yes, we’ve lost drop Rob Marshall, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, but I’m basically key to holding this team together and it being successful.

“Even very early that year at the London F1 75 launch, when there was this booing going on towards Christian and Oliver Mintzlaff was there, I was told that this was another key moment of the Red Bull senior management thinking we’ve got a bigger issue with Christian than we probably thought.

“I think by the end of 2024, everyone was pretty much under the impression this wasn’t as big a deal as it was a couple of months before.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Christian Horner’s flirting with Ferrari played a part in Red Bull exit

Speaking later in the podcast about Horner’s previous links with Ferrari, Nimmervoll continued: “I mean, that’s obviously the biggest job that is there or probably is there.

“We don’t know, but obviously, there are rumours going around about Fred Vasseur.

“But I think it’s interesting because, yes, we believe he has had contact with John Elkann, and I don’t know which race it was, but he was asked on the record on Sky, if he had met with John Elkann and he was quite evasive on that question and not saying no to it.

“And from what I’ve been told this morning, this whole Ferrari rumour, the Red Bull group being under the impression that Christian himself was not very active in denying those, was one of the reasons that, in the end, out of multiple reasons, but that also led to what happened today.”

Flavio Briatore was quick to message Horner after his Red Bull exit, and a move to Alpine in the future doesn’t seem out of the question without a true team principal in charge right now.

Horner would have to completely change his management style to fit in at Ferrari, considering that a team principal has far less power there than at Red Bull.

It’s yet to be seen what Horner’s next steps will be, but Laurent Mekies is now the man responsible for improving Red Bull’s reputation and standing, which is clearly still important to those at the top of the company.