Mekies Replaces Horner As Red Bull Boss After Surprising Dismissal

JAKARTA Red Bull Racing officially sacked Christian Horner, one of the most successful and longest-serving team heads in Formula 1 history, and appointed Laurent Mekies from Racing Bulls as his successor starting Wednesday 9 July.

Horner, 51, who has led Red Bull since they took over Jaguar's team in 2005, has suddenly been released from office even though his contract is still in effect until 2030.

"Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties starting today and appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing," the team said in an official statement.

Red Bull's CEO of project and corporate investment, Oliver Mintzlaff, expressed his gratitude for Horner's two decades of dedication.

"With his relentless commitment, experience, expertise, and innovative thinking, Christian played a major role in making Red Bull Racing one of the most successful and most exciting teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, you will always be an important part of our history," said Mintzlaff.

Laurent Mekies, who previously led Italy-based Racing Bulls team, will now lead all operations of Red Bull F1 based in Milton Keynes, England. Mekies' position in Racing Bulls will be filled by Alan Permanente, former director of the race.

Horner admitted that he was not given specific reasons for his dismissal. To Martin Brudle of Sky Sports, he said, "No reason was given."

Under Horner, Red Bull won 8 world title riders with Sebastian Vettel and 4 with Max Verstappen and 6 constructors. But this season they performed poorly, only sitting in fourth place in the constructors' standings with 172 points, 288 points behind leaders McLaren.

Max Verstappen, four-time world champion, has only won two of his 12 races this season and is currently in third place in the drivers' standings. His future in the team is also a question mark despite being under contract until 2028, with rumors of interest from Mercedes and Aston Martin.

Verstappen paid tribute to Horner via Instagram, with the upload of a photo of the two hugging. "From my first win, to four world titles, we have shared many successful moments. Thank you for everything, Christian," he wrote.

But his father, Jos Verstappen, was known to have clashed with Horner and last year called for Horner to step down following allegations of abuse by a female employee who was later denied and released through internal investigations.

Brundle added, "This is not completely surprising, given the team's internal problems. I believe this is also related to performance. This may actually increase Verstappen's chances of survival."

The day after being appointed, Mekies immediately started working and acknowledged the big challenges in sight. In a video interview with Red Bull, he expressed his admiration for the team.

"From the outside, we all see Red Bull as the best place in the world. It's an honor to be able to join," he said. Large regulatory challenges await F1 going forward, and we must be ready with all the best resources.

Mekies, 48, has had a long career in F1 since 2001, starting from the Arrows team, then Minardi (who later became Toro Rosso), and served at the FIA as safety director. He also briefly became the sporting director and deputy head of the Ferrari team before returning to Racing Bulls last year.

Red Bull itself is preparing homemade engines for the 2026 season a big leap amid competition with giants such as Mercedes, Honda, and Ferrari.

Regarding Horner's future, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said he was surprised to hear the news directly from Horner. "I doubt he will know what to do next," said Ecclestone.