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Christian Horner’s Sacking Leaves Red Bull With a Problem That Could Linger for Years

Originally posted on HITC | By David Comerford | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 10:22 AM ET

Christian Horner is leaving Red Bull during a break in the Formula 1 season, with two weekends off before round 13 gets underway in Belgium.

The team might have waited until the summer break to make the change, giving new boss Laurent Mekies a more natural entry point. But after picking up just 10 points over the last two weekends — and with questions swirling about Max Verstappen’s future — there may have been pressure to act sooner.

Mekies isn’t expected to turn things around immediately, nor should he be. Most of the development work on next year’s car has already been wrapped up.

His first priority will be steadying the ship and helping Red Bull find some consistency again. With major regulation changes coming up, he’ll need to get up to speed quickly.

Red Bull’s engine project feels the impact of Horner’s departure

One of the major changes ahead for Red Bull is their move to a self-built power unit. Since 2019, they’ve run Honda engines, but next season marks the start of a new era with their own in-house setup.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Horner was a key backer of this shift and played a significant role in securing the technical partnership with Ford.

The team has already admitted just how big and complicated this transition will be. During the British Grand Prix weekend, Horner went as far as to say it would be “embarrassing” if they managed to match Mercedes right from the start.

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Horner’s exit has created what some are calling a “power vacuum” within RBPT. And if that gap isn’t filled quickly, there are concerns that the engine project could suffer not just in 2026 but throughout the current rules cycle, which runs until 2030.

Max Verstappen’s influence on Christian Horner’s departure from Red Bull

Red Bull’s early simulations for 2026 have already raised concerns, making it likely that Horner was closely involved in trying to address the issues.

While Mekies is stepping in as the new team principal, Red Bull could use this transition to rethink their internal structure. One option might be to shift responsibility for Powertrains away from him, allowing him to focus on broader team management.

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Several outlets have reported that Max Verstappen pushed for changes at Red Bull as the team continued to struggle. McLaren currently leads the way in F1, with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella working side by side.

According to sources within Red Bull, Verstappen has recently been part of meetings with senior figures, including CEO Oliver Mintzlaff. It’s possible those discussions played a part in the decision to move on from Horner.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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