- July 9, 2025
Christian Horner Sacked as Red Bull Team Principal Amid Controversies
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been fired after a year-long probe into inappropriate behavior allegation.
Christian Horner has been sacked by Red Bull (Picture credit: AP)
In what has come as a major blow to Red Bull’s fledgling season in Formula 1, team principal Christian Horner has been sacked by the outfit, a year after he faced an investigation after an allegation of inappropriate behaviour from a female colleague.
In the last 20 years under Horner, Red Bull have won the drivers’ championship eight times, with current world champion Max Verstappen winning the last four titles.
The step comes after months of fledgling form for the outfit and internal disputes at the highest level and over a year after Horner was accused of sexual harassment and coercive behaviour by a female employee.
Timeline of events that presumably led to Horner’s sacking
On February 5, 2024, Red Bull confirmed that Horner is under investigation.
“After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation. This process, which is already under way, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister,” Red Bull said.
Horner, who remained in his dual role of team principal and CEO, said that he denies the claims made against him.
On February 9, in his first interview with the barrister, Horner was questioned in a meeting in London which reportedly lasted over eight hours. No resolution was reached on that matter in the first interview.
On February 15, with the investigation into Horner ongoing, he faced reporters for the first time since the matter became public at the launch of Red Bull’s 2024 F1 car at an event at their Milton Keynes office.
Appearing at the event with Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Adrian Newey, Horner held multiple rounds of interviews with attending TV and written media and is questioned on the investigation.
Horner denied the allegations and while he said that he can’t comment on the specifics of the matter, added that he is cooperating with the investigation.
On February 18, Formula 1 issued its sole statement on the Horner investigation.
“We have noted that Red Bull has instigated an independent investigation into internal allegations at Red Bull Racing. We hope that the matter will be clarified at the earliest opportunity, after a fair and thorough process and we will not comment further at this time,” F1 said in its statement.
The FIA also said that it remains committed to upholding the highest standard of integrity, fairness and inclusivity within F1.
On February 20, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, in attendance at the pre-season test and the season’s first F1 team bosses’ press conference, called for transparency on the investigation and its eventual outcome from Red Bull.
On February 22, on the second day of testing, Horner faced the media again and reiterated that he comment on the processes of investigation.
Within six days, on February 28, the opening media of the 2024 season ends with the news that all allegations against Horner have been dismissed and he would remain in his role as team principal and CEO.
A day later, on February 29, during the evening’s second practice, material purporting to the alleged evidence in the investigation is leaked to numerous media organisations and team principals from an anonymous email ID.
On March 1, F1 president Stefano Domenicali and FIA’s Mohammed Ben Sulayem met in Bahrain to discuss the investigation.
On March 7, reports surfaced that the female colleague has been suspended after Red Bull’s investigation into Horner.
The next day, with focus increasing on the relationships between the bigwigs in Red Bull, advisor Helmut Marko said that he can either face suspension or leave of his accord, amidst media reports at Bahrain that he was under investigation in connection with information leaks around the Horner probe.
On March 16, the employee suspended by Red Bull appeals against the decision to clear Horner of controlling behaviour, according to reports.
On May 1, Newey announced that he had stopped working on the Red Bull car and would depart in early 2025. The shock news came amidst a period of sustained turbulence in the company.
Now, over a year later, Horner departs Red Bull with a brilliant track record but a reputation marred by numerous controversies.
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