Christian Horner has been sacked as Red Bull team principal after 20 years in charge.
Horner’s dismissal from the Formula One team comes 17 months after he was accused by a female colleague of “inappropriate behaviour”.
Horner was twice exonerated of the claims by the Milton Keynes-based Formula One team’s parent company, Red Bull GmBH.
On Wednesday a statement from Red Bull GmbH, read: “Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today (Wednesday 9 July 2025) and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing.”
Horner was first cleared of wrong-doing at Red Bull following an independent investigation in late February 2024.
But just 24 hours later, his future at F1 was thrust back into uncertainty after hundreds of messages and a number of images apparently between Horner and the complainant were sent from an anonymous email account to members of the Formula One paddock.
Horner remained defiant and said he would not comment on "anonymous speculation". Red Bull suspended the woman at the centre of the allegations in March last year, and confirmed in August that it had dismissed an appeal by the complainant.
During this period Horner lost a number of key figures at Red Bull, with design guru Adrian Newey, chief designer Rob Marshall and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley all departing.
Horner was subjected to boos at F1’s launch in London in February this year, and McLaren CEO Zak Brown said in an interview with the PA news agency the following month he would feel “vulnerable” if he were in Horner’s shoes.
“When I go and meet my board, I would not be feeling great because they would be going, ‘Well, why did he leave? Why did he leave? And why did he leave? Oh, and by the way, you didn’t seem to get a very warm welcome at the launch’," Brown said.
"I don’t know how they feel. But I would feel vulnerable."
Horner, 51, had been team principal at Red Bull since 2005, overseeing eight drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles.
However, Red Bull’s form has slumped with four-time world champion Max Verstappen having won only two of the 12 races staged this season.
Verstappen finished fifth in Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone – a race which would turn out to be Horner’s last in charge.
