Christian Horner sacked!

koolpc said:
Max and Horner to be snapped up by Stroll maybe?
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Didn't Newey leave RB cos of the Horner stuff in the first place? Doubt he'd take too well to him rocking up at his new job!

He'd be a good fit at Aston if they're really serious about being a big player but not sure about all the other parties involved allowing it to happen.
 
koolpc said:
Max and Horner to be snapped up by Stroll maybe?
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Possible but Aston did just appoint Andy Cowell as boss and I can't see him being effectively demoted or sacked.
I think Ferrari or Alpine are a better bet for Horner; Ferrari missed out on Newey - given his success they would be mad to miss out on Horner as well.
Alpine could tempt though; especially if offered a stake in the team; Alpine/Renault are in a similar position to where Jaguar were when Red Bull took over - an absolute mess and in dire need of organisation; but with a likely fast Mercedes customer engine deal as well.
 
koolpc said:
Max and Horner to be snapped up by Stroll maybe?
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I don't think Newey would want to work with Horner again. Reports say Horner's lack a recognition for Newey's achievements is one of (several) reasons why he left RB.
However I think Max to AM is absolutely viable. Merc engine. Back with Newey and massive investment from Stroll. Ideally, Lance would decide to retire to "pursue other interests outside of F1" but unfortunately Max to AM would more likely mean the end of Alonso's career.
 
Armageus said:
Some more to the story slowly unfolding - sounds like a restructuring of some kind

www.the-race.com

Two senior Horner allies immediately depart Red Bull too

The shock departure of Christian Horner as Red Bull Racing CEO and Formula 1 team principal has been accompanied by the exit of two other senior figures.
www.the-race.com www.the-race.com
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The two others leaving apparantly were supposedly very close with Horner so makes sense - I watched Crofty (and the other Sky F1 presenter) talking about all of this being done "media wise" from Salzburg so sounds like the F1 Team comms/media have been left out the loop at this point.

Sounds like Red Bull want to take more control of the "racing" operation - franky given how poor they've managed their other sports investments (especially football) I can't imagine its a good thing.
F1 teams should be left to be run by F1 people; not sports marketeers or suits in a manufacturer boardroom.

I was reading one article earlier that compared Red Bull with Dietrich Mateschitz and Horner to Ferrari and McLaren.
With Matechitz massively leaving Horner and the F1 team to get on with it without corporate interference; similar to what Luca di Montezemolo did when Brawn, Todt, etc were at Ferrari and now similarly what McLaren's money men are doing - leaving Stella and Zak Brown to get on with it.
 
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OK, I'll reiterate (since swearies on here are quite sensitive), I don't like or respect Horner as an individual because he's a whiny individual with a narcissistic streak..

However, I can respect his position as Principal within RB, but considering their abysmal constructors standings (relative to the performance of the car) its clear something is very broken in the team to have not optimised their standings in the last two years.

It will be interesting to see more detail on this, knowing how the media is in full on emotional programming for clicks mode, it's stupid to just run with the crap being thrown out with no real substance..
 
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If Toto did actually want Max and has managed that - and managed to lose Horner his job too, then he must be the happiest man in the world right now :D

Or if as I thought — Toto and George have been stirring the pot re Max and have zero interest in signing him. But if that has culminated in Horner getting sacked then I doubt Toto will stop laughing for another few months yet :p
 
Terminal_Boy said:
I’ll have a fiver on RB trying to “get ahead” of more fallout/revelations regarding Horner’s alleged misconduct.
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It'd be nice to think that mattered, but most opinion seems to put this to a power-conflict within Red Bull. With the team struggling, and Verstappen unhappy, Horner's position got weaker which allowed those within RB who had butted head with him enough leverage to force a rival out.
 
Demon said:
OK, I'll reiterate (since swearies on here are quite sensitive), I don't like or respect Horner as an individual because he's a whiny individual with a narcissistic streak..

However, I can respect his position as Principal within RB, but considering their abysmal constructors standings (relative to the performance of the car) its clear something is very broken in the team to have not optimised their standings in the last two years.

It will be interesting to see more detail on this, knowing how the media is in full on emotional programming for clicks mode, it's stupid to just run with the crap being thrown out with no real substance..
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Quite some of the media definitely want their pound of flesh with this story, whilst others just blindly follow assumptions because they don't like the man and make connections that don't actually exist, only locker room innuendo, pub talk, otherwise there's no story to them.

However another, far more plausible, version of the events around Horner's departure is now, finally, coming out and a more logical version from all this hysteria that been occurring.
www.skysports.com

Why did Red Bull sack Christian Horner? The potential reasons the long-serving F1 team principal was dismissed

Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull after 20 years as team principal; the team have not publicly provided a reason for his dismissal; Horner is also understood to be unaware of the specific reasons for his departure midway through the F1 season
www.skysports.com www.skysports.com
 
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I didn’t realise Fred Vasseurs contract was up this year too.

I also realised it’s goodwood this weekend and F1’s 75 celebrations are the centerpiece.. Surely they could’ve let Horner enjoy that and bin him off on Monday!? Haha!
 
People get too invested in personalities and forget that these are business. It’s literally egotistical and narcissistic people employing other egotistical and narcissistic people.

Saying X won’t hire Y because it’ll hurt someone’s feelings is such a based take. It’s a result-driven sport and Horner has a pretty good record. Hell, Flávio is back so I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Bernie pop up again.

Realistically only Ferrari and AM are in positions where leadership changes might help although I think it’s too early to do that at AM. Ferrari were talking of moving some facilities to the U.K. which might be an option but I don’t think any team would make changes this soon.
 
Mesai said:
People get too invested in personalities and forget that these are business. It’s literally egotistical and narcissistic people employing other egotistical and narcissistic people.

Saying X won’t hire Y because it’ll hurt someone’s feelings is such a based take. It’s a result-driven sport and Horner has a pretty good record. Hell, Flávio is back so I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Bernie pop up again.

Realistically only Ferrari and AM are in positions where leadership changes might help although I think it’s too early to do that at AM. Ferrari were talking of moving some facilities to the U.K. which might be an option but I don’t think any team would make changes this soon.
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Working in F1 is results driven to the point of being ridiculous. I once had an interview for a job at AMG and even for support staff the terms were **** and it was rolling 1 year contracts for everyone, so super unstable work, high pressure and the pay was very low for all that.

You have to be a super fan to consider it as a career as you can end up out at any time with no safety net. If things aren't working on track they'll purge the lot and rehire.
 
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cuke2u said:
Quite some of the media definitely want their pound of flesh with this story, whilst others just blindly follow assumptions because they don't like the man and make connections that don't actually exist, only locker room innuendo, pub talk, otherwise there's no story to them.

However another, far more plausible, version of the events around Horner's departure is now, finally, coming out and a more logical version from all this hysteria that been occurring.
www.skysports.com

Why did Red Bull sack Christian Horner? The potential reasons the long-serving F1 team principal was dismissed

Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull after 20 years as team principal; the team have not publicly provided a reason for his dismissal; Horner is also understood to be unaware of the specific reasons for his departure midway through the F1 season
www.skysports.com www.skysports.com
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The article is nothing but more of the same, guesswork.
 
chrismscotland said:
F1 teams should be left to be run by F1 people; not sports marketeers or suits in a manufacturer boardroom.
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But that's worked so well in the past for people like Alpine, and Toyota, and Honda, and Ford...

You'd think the suits would have learned by now, but it seems their egos constantly get in the way and they have to get involved. The problem is that an F1 team cannot be ran like a business, but that is all they know.
 
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Nasher said:
Working in F1 is results driven to the point of being ridiculous. I once had an interview for a job at AMG and even for support staff the terms were **** and it was rolling 1 year contracts for everyone, so super unstable work, high pressure and the pay was very low for all that.

You have to be a super fan to consider it as a career as you can end up out at any time with no safety net. If things aren't working on track they'll purge the lot and rehire.
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Basically contractor. Outside Ir35 I hope
 
Horner has put out his own statement (source):

After an incredible journey of twenty years together, it is with a heavy heart that today I say goodbye to the Team I have absolutely loved. Every one of you, the amazing people at the factory, have been the heart and soul of everything that we have achieved. Win and lose, every step of the way, we have stood by each other as one and I will never forget that. It’s been a privilege being part of and leading this epic Team and I am so proud of our collective accomplishments and you all.

Thanks to the amazing partners and fans who enabled us to go racing. Your support has helped grow the team from its humble beginnings to an F1 powerhouse that laid claim to 6 Constructors Championships and 8 Drivers Championships.

Equally, thank you to our rivals, with whom there would be no racing at all. You’ve pushed us, challenged us, and enabled us to achieve accolades we never dreamed possible. The competition has made every victory sweeter and every setback an opportunity to develop and grow.

Formula 1 is a sport built on relentless ambition, passion, and respect. The rivalries have been fierce, but the mutual drive to innovate and raise the bar is what has made this journey so special.

It’s been an honour to be part of this incredible era of motorsport. I leave with immense pride in what we’ve achieved and also with what’s in the pipeline for 2026 — and huge respect for everyone who’s made F1 the pinnacle it is today. Thank You

Christian

6 x Constructors
8 x Drivers
124 x Victories
12 x Sprint Wins
287 x Podiums
107 x Pole positions
100 x Fastest Laps​

And Sky has video of his leaving speech to the team.
 
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