Christian Horner, Principal of Red Bull’s team, shocking dismissal On Wednesday, both were a real surprise and were also very unavoidable given the position of the team. At the same time, how can she be true two things, which talks to the strange story that follows Red Bull for the last two years.
This is an unprecedented moment in the team’s story. A red bull racing was never done without him: all its 124 race winning, championships of six construents and eight drivers have come under his stewardship, which began with the team’s debut season in 2005. They made one. Sutra 1 His legacy as a powerhouse, and a team boss will eventually be strong.
And yet he is out.
Even the employees of Red Bull were unaware until Horner said goodbye to the employees of Milton Keins Factory at 10 am on Wednesday, before the news broke. During the last week, which ended in the British Grand Prix appeared in good souls – calm and relaxed about its place in the team. But the hornaner’s position was felt for a long time to have something of a tick time bomb, even though the explosion still managed to completely shut down the team and F1.
“As big news goes on,” David Croft, Formula 1 voice voice, X posted to X On Wednesday, “It is not very big in F1!”
The simplest is choosing the red bull Max Verustapane Horner for your long -term future, a roll of dice to get it nearby Growing rumors of one step for MercedesA declaration for his four -time world champion will do anything to give him an opportunity to add to that tally. There are not many other ways that you can slices it, and there is no guarantee that it will work to keep Dutchman beyond next year, although many factors have come together that forces the owner of the long -standing team to make the owner of the long -standing team out of the door.
All can be manageable on their own, but kept together, they have decided to make a clean brake and hit the reset button. The saying in Formula 1 is that the stopwatch never lies, and the growing struggle on the team’s track, combined with tension behind the curtain, eventually pushed the red bull to the edge.
In 2024, Horner survived a personal scam. Red bull stood by him after an independent investigation in controlled and improper behavior to a former staff member Gave him wrongly approvedFormer employee Appeal was also rejected in that decisionThe scam put a shadow on the team. This deepened the major divisions, especially Between Horner and Jose VerustapaneFather of Max Vastapane.
Jose warned before last year’s early race that the red bull was “In danger of getting torn” Under the leadership of Horner. Sources said Jose and Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marco became concerned about how powerful the team had said within the team after the death of Ditrich Matschitz, the founder of Energy Drink in October 2022. Purchased the concerns that proceeded to Matschitz’s Son Mark and Red Bull GMBH Executive Oliver Mintzalf.
Internal changes alone were not enough to dislike the horner.
By mid -2024, the red bull was completed; After winning the dramatic title of Max Vastapane in 2021, Milton Keins-based team had stopped Rome for success in both 2022 and 2023 and appeared untouchable on the track. Those successes appeared only to strengthen the position of the horner; Sources have told ESPN that they had emphasized the shareholder of the Red Bull’s majority Chalam Yagyabhaya that it was the main reason for the team’s success in this decade. It was commonly accepted that his job was secured until Horner retained the support of Yagyabhaya.
In last year’s Miami Grand Prix, things began to fall apart – on the two and closed on the two.
Came first Legendary F1 designer Adrian Navy departsWhich is now in Aston Martin. Director of sports Jonathan Wheatley left to join Audi project – On Sunday, he celebrated the team’s first podium since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. Strategy chief Will Curtain was taken away by McLarenWhere he will become the Sports Director. Zak Brown’s team is also concluding with another pre-red bull man in a lead role: Chief Designer Rob Marshall joined 2022 And has played an important role in the supervision of McLaren’s current successful run.
Sources have told ESPN that attempts to fill those Voids have been hit and remembered. The fact is that Red Bull has so persistence to be allowed to leave when the Curtain will be allowed to leave – it is unlikely to be any before the middle route through 2026 – signal in the team struggling to deal with its rapid brain drain in major areas.
Throughout, Horner has insisted that the team had deep strength and a storm season. And she can be well cured that things keep moving well on the track, but this is where the most spectacular issues are. The struggle of the first Sergio Perez also came close to matching the speed of Vastapane – Perez, known as a close Horner Associate, left the team at the end of his disappointing 2024 season. Replacement Liam Lawson Two breeds run before being replaced by Yuki SunodaWhich has done a little better.
This season, out of 210 championship points of Red Bull, Vastapain scored 203 runs. The failure of the gradual teammates failed to do anything with the failure of red bull cars deteriorating and repeatedly urged the Verustapane that they are unpleasant to drive. Only the sublime talent of Dutchman has made anything positive on the track this season. Verstappen defended Perez, he defended Lawson and now he defends Tsunoda “I told you so much” attitude that betrays Deep frustrations about machinery at their disposal,
The verstappen has long been on the position of the horner. The four -time world champion rarely dragged himself into questions about the leadership of the team, but recently another subject was thrown his way with more regularity, a one who was directly associated with its low success on the track.
Sources have confirmed ESPN that Vastapane has a section in its contract that allows him to leave the team if it is lower than the third in the Driver Championship after Hungary Grand Prix on 3 August. He is currently in fourth place. George RussellVastapane itself Refused to answer questions about your future During a packed media session in Silverstone last week, but Various reports Suggestion agents Raymond Vermulan and Jose Verustapane are seriously considering the Mercedes option, should the section open a door.
In 2026, a step for Mercedes did not always seem likely, however-it would be extremely risky to sign a long-term contract when it is. Heavy changes in rules Due to being effective next year, which could change the dramatically ongoing order – but the only idea of Vastapane jumping ship was a powerful, and his camp made it home with great impact, even though the man did not like to talk about it himself.
This is the place where things became interesting – even more with a handiological.
Horner said that at a news conference last Friday, Verustapain refused to prepare on his future. Red Bull should start getting ready for life without your star driver – Whether it is next year, 2027 or beyond. This was the first time he accepted the possibility of leaving Dutchman.
Eagerly, he also said that Matschitz told him that Sebstian Wettels were looking to leave the Red Bull in 2014: “If we don’t have the best car we don’t need the best driver.” Horner talked about building teams in bicycles, winning the title between 2010 and 2013 and won between 2021 and 2024.
Horner’s departure shows that Vastapane will be with Red Bull next year-the ongoing noise from his father and agent will reduce the weeks in the weeks in the summer break-but is it enough to explain that the four-time world champion can be understood to vow to vow to the team. The Red Bull expects to get away at the speed in 2026 – a year that looks at its own engine for the first time in combination with Ford – but the pitch to keep the Vastapane until the end of its contract, which runs till 2028, can now be quite easy that the team has removed it for a long time that he has felt themselves.
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Number behind the time of Christian Horner in Red Bull
After being dismissed by the F1 team, take a look at the achievements of Christian Horner in Red Bull.
What for Horner?
In a press release drop, Horner F1 became unemployed by being one of the most influential and important people. While he can claim an important genealogy in terms of his achievements, the true impact in Formula 1 is impossible to work without an important role elsewhere.
It is believed to run until 2030, however, it may occur some time before he is running electricity anywhere in Padock.
Two close relationships of Horner will cause fuel speculation about a possible landing spots under the road. He is known to go to good positions with John Elkan, the president of Ferrari – a friendship resulted in a serious approach before this decade – and is also close to Alpine’s executive flavio Brytor.
earlier this year, Horner dismissed reports that he had tapped by ElconWhile Ferrari has also denied suggestions that it is ready to move beyond the boss Fradric Vasasur of the under-fire team. whether Lewis Hamilton I would like to work with Horner after a fierce title fight between Red Bull and Mercedes in 2021, completely another question.
Alpine may be a left-field candidate. Taking a role outward, perhaps as a shareholder, there was a result that was a source suggested to ESPN in view of Horner’s dismissal on Wednesday.
In the F1, when and where Horner Remners will have an attractive subplot to follow in the coming months and years.