Red Bull release F1 team principal Christian Horner after 20 years
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NZ Herald
10 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Formula 1: What does Red Bull sacking Christian Horner mean for Liam Lawson?
Red Bull look a shadow of the side that won 22 out of 23 races in 2023, and the revolving door of drivers in the team's second seat has ultimately caused more problems than it solved. The only thing keeping them afloat is world champion Max Verstappen, even if he's destined to lose that title to one of the two McLaren cars. In short, Horner has overseen Red Bull squandering the most dominant position in the team's history. On his watch, key personnel have departed the team, weakening Red Bull and strengthening other teams at the same time. The Herald understands Verstappen's last contract contains a performance clause meaning he can leave Red Bull, depending on where they stand in the constructors championship at this year's summer break. Max Verstappen has enjoyed great success with Red Bull. Photo / Red Bull And given the current links between Verstappen and Mercedes for 2026, it would be very surprising if that clause doesn't still exist in the deal he's currently signed to, through to 2028. That's not to mention the widely understood disconnect between Horner and Jos Verstappen, father of Max Verstappen, dating back to 2016. Make no mistake, this move is Red Bull's last-ditch attempt to keep Verstappen. Surely, that's the first – and realistically – only job for Laurent Mekies, who's been named to step in as both team principal and chief executive. Over the past 18 months, Mekies has proven to be one of the most understated team principals on the grid. He's been instrumental in Red Bull's junior side currently sitting seventh in the constructors standings and guiding the likes of Isack Hadjar, Yuki Tsunoda, and most importantly Liam Lawson. Having been demoted by Red Bull and Horner just two races into this season, Lawson has started to rebuild at Racing Bulls, under Mekies' guidance. New Zealand driver Liam Lawson. Photo / Getty Images And regardless of how many seats Red Bull have to fill for 2026, given Tsunoda's struggles, Mekies will now have a large say in who lines up in an RB22 in Melbourne next year. What does that mean for Lawson, though? For most of Lawson's time at Red Bull, Horner was understood to have been somewhat of a road block. When Nyck de Vries was sacked by the then-AlphaTauri team in 2022, Horner ensured that Daniel Ricciardo took his place in the junior side, despite being well past his best. And while Lawson was able to turn Horner, notably with a private test at Silverstone last year, a two-race demotion sent the Kiwi back to square one. Short-term, not much changes for Lawson, who's impressed in patches, with points finishes in both Monaco and Austria. However, he'll be the first one to tell you that he should be doing more, especially if he wants a Red Bull return in 2026. No driver has ever been demoted from Red Bull and later returned to the top team. Pierre Gasly was forced to move to Alpine, while Alex Albon did the same with Williams. Sergio Perez is still waiting on his next chance, with Cadillac expected to offer him a lifeline next year. Lawson is different though. From the moment he was dropped, Red Bull's language outlined their support for the Kiwi, while the other three had been simply thanked for their services. Of all the Red Bull employees to succeed Horner, Mekies taking that role could give Lawson the best chance at a return to the senior side. In the meantime, he'll need to stay on course at Racing Bulls, with an upturn in form that sees him regularly competing for and scoring points. Liam Lawson (left) and teammate Isack Hadjar at the Miami Grand Prix. Photo / Red Bull The flipside of that, though, is that Lawson's biggest obstacle for a Red Bull return remains unchanged. As of right now, his competition for that Red Bull seat is Hadjar, with whom Mekies has also worked closely. The 20-year-old has been the standout rookie on this season's grid, scoring points in five out of 12 races, and holds a nine-point advantage over his teammate. Recent form, though, has seen Hadjar come back down to Earth. He finished 16th in Canada, was off the pace in Austria to finish 12th, and failed to finish at Silverstone after crashing into the back of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli. Having seen the struggles of Lawson after such a rapid elevation, Red Bull might be more restrained in their handling of Hadjar. Team senior adviser Dr Helmut Marko has already ruled out any further change to the driver line-ups at both Red Bull or Racing Bulls. That effectively leaves Lawson and Hadjar both driving to earn promotion for 2026 – as was already the case. The only change from there, though, is that the person making the decision is someone who already understands exactly what each of his two former drivers are capable of. Now more than ever, Lawson's future is in his own hands. Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
1News
11 hours ago
- 1News
Red Bull fires F1 team principal Christian Horner after 20 years
Red Bull abruptly fired longtime team principal Christian Horner overnight, ending a 20-year stint that included eight Formula 1 drivers' titles and recent turmoil that rocked the team on and off the track. Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision in a statement Thursday, but thanked Horner for his work and said he will "forever remain an important part of our team history". Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls will replace Horner in his role as team principal and chief executive of the Red Bull team. "From my first race win, to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records. Thank you for everything, Christian!" F1 champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull posted on social media. ADVERTISEMENT Horner had been Red Bull team principal since it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005. He had performed his team and media duties as normal throughout the British Grand Prix last week. His wife is Geri Halliwell — Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls — and Horner himself became a celebrity figure through his prominence on Netflix's F1 docuseries Drive To Survive, where his bitter rivalry with Mercedes' Toto Wolff was a key plot point. He and Verstappen were booed at the season launch in London in February. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is flanked by his wife Geri Alliwell after the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, in Jedda, Saudi Arabia. (Source: Associated Press) Horner oversaw eight F1 drivers' titles — four for Sebastian Vettel and four for Verstappen — and six constructors' titles during his time with the team. But McLaren has dominated this season in F1, while Red Bull's performance has dipped, though defending champion Verstappen remains third in the standings and the team is fourth. Uncertainty for the future Horner spent much of last week fielding questions over Verstappen's future at the team after the Dutch driver declined to commit to stay with Red Bull for 2026. Zak Brown, boss of rival McLaren, told The Associated Press last week it would be a "disaster" for Red Bull if Verstappen were to leave. ADVERTISEMENT Red Bull team principal Christian Horner talkks to Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in June, 2025. (Source: Associated Press) Horner is the latest in a series of high-profile executives to leave the team over the last year and a half. Car design great Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley departed for Sauber, which is soon to become the Audi works team. All of these changes have followed the 2022 death of Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire co-founder of Red Bull who created its F1 project. The team also shuffled drivers, dropping Sergio Perez at the end of last season before a brief failed experiment with Liam Lawson as Verstappen's teammate. He was in turn replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who hasn't scored a point in five races. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a homicide arrest after a Hamilton manhunt, concern over a new Covid variant, and Red Bull sacks its Formula 1 team boss. (Source: 1News) "We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years," Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull's chief executive for corporate projects and investments said in a statement. "With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history." First place Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, of Germany, left, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, centre, in 2010. (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT The announcement comes more than a year after Horner was accused of misconduct toward a team employee. An investigation conducted on behalf of the Red Bull company dismissed the allegation, as did a further investigation conducted after the employee appealed against the initial ruling, Red Bull said at the time. Horner remained in charge of the F1 team throughout the entire process. Red Bull's next challenge Horner, a former driver whose racing career stalled one level below F1, was the youngest team boss in F1 at 32 when he took charge of Red Bull in 2005 after its parent drinks company bought what had been Jaguar. He's the only leader it's known since. As team principal and chief executive Horner had unusually broad authority for an F1 boss. He signalled last week he expected to stay in charge for a long time yet. "We have a very tight senior management, a very strong structure," Horner said. "We've got strength in depth. We don't feel, and I certainly don't feel, that there's a need to change or tune it." ADVERTISEMENT Horner's departure comes in the middle of the team's efforts to prepare for one of the biggest rule changes in F1 in decades next season. Red Bull will make its own engines in partnership with Ford, a project led by Horner. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, right, speaks TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson before the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack in Silverstone, England. (Source: Associated Press) At Racing Bulls, whose cars have sometimes outperformed the main Red Bull team this season, Alan Permane will be promoted from racing director to team principal to fill the gap left by Mekies. "It's an honour to be part of this group of brilliant people that embody the Red Bull spirit," Mekies said in a statement. "Together we will achieve great results, building on the incredible legacy left by Christian Horner during his two decades in charge."
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
UK: Macron meets the King
UK correspondent Hugo Gye talks about the pomp and ceremony of the French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit, where he used a speech to push for a more aggressive distancing of Europe from the US. A new report by the Office for Budget Responsibility finds the outlook dire for British finances, forecasting national debt to grow to 270 percent of GDP by the 2070s if nothing is changed. And Wimbledon is drawing to an end, but not before temperatures are set to hit the 30s again. Hugo Gye is Political Editor of The i Paper
