Red Bull announced the formal departure of Christian Horner from the F1 team and company after, which frees him to join anyone in first part of 2026 season.
After Horner was dropped as the Red Bull Racing CEO and F1 team principal, the Brit remained part of the company for the past couple of months until now. On Monday, the company announced the formal departure of its veteran team boss after reaching a settlement.
There are various numbers being reported as part of the package, but the key point is that he is free to join any other F1 role from early part of 2026 season. Apart from few reports, there has been no indication of Horner being part of any team or organisation thus far.
Horner has been watching F1 from his home after few mentions from media broadcasters of receiving text messages from him during race weekends. He was replaced by Laurent Mekies in the role, who has received praise for his engineering background and doing things in different manner.
Red Bull has found success in recent races, which includes back-to-back wins in Monza and Baku. For Horner, it ends a 20-year long journey with the F1 team which was founded in 2005 after the takeover of Jaguar. He has seen through two dominant times with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
“Leading Red Bull Racing has been an honour and privilege,” said Horner in his final message. “When we started in 2005, none of us could have imagined the journey ahead — the championships, the races, the people, the memories. I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved as a team breaking records and reaching heights no-one would ever believe were possible and I will forever carry that with me.
“However for me my biggest satisfaction has been assembling and leading the most amazing group of talented and driven individuals and seeing them flourish as a subsidiary of an Energy Drinks company and seeing them take on and beat some of the biggest automotive brands in the world. I wish Laurent, Max, Yuki and all of the Red Bull Technology Group the very best for the future.
“I am confident they will, as ever, deliver success on the track, for our fans, and continue to push to the maximum and I look forward to seeing the first Red Bull / Ford engine in the back of RB22 next year as well as the exciting RB17. I would like to thank our incredible sponsors and partners for their unwavering support who have played a key role in all our success.
“I would like to say a big thank you to the fans for their ongoing belief and without whom there would be no Formula One. Racing aside, I would also like to thank the shareholders, the late Dietrich Mateschitz for the opportunity he gave me as a 31 year old, Mark Mateschitz and Saravoot Yoovidyha and finally Chalerm and Daranee Yoovidhya for their friendship and commitment during my time at Red Bull as well as Oliver Mintzlaff and the Board for their guidance.”
Meanwhile, Mintzlaff added: “We would like to thank Christian for his exceptional work over the last 20 years. 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.”
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