Yesterday, Christian Horner’s long career as team boss of Red Bull Racing came to an end. He was replaced by Laurent Mekies, who had been in charge of Racing Bulls. At first, it wasn’t clear what role Mekies would take, as he was only announced as CEO of Red Bull. In Formula 1, teams often have both a CEO and a team principal. Horner had done both jobs at the same time.

Later in the evening, Red Bull confirmed that Mekies is taking over fully from Horner. That means he is now both the CEO and team principal of the F1 team. However, this doesn’t mean there won’t be more changes in the future.

READ MORE: Christian Horner sacked as Red Bull CEO, Laurent Mekies takes over

Horner led Red Bull for more than 20 years. During that time, he helped the team win six Constructors’ Championships and eight Drivers’ titles. Red Bull also celebrated 124 race wins and 287 podiums under his leadership. But since the middle of 2024, the team’s performance has dropped, and there have been problems behind the scenes.

According to Sky Sports, Horner was told about the decision on Tuesday evening. Red Bull probably chose this moment because of a short summer break with two free weekends coming up.

On Wednesday, Horner spoke to the team at Red Bull’s base in Milton Keynes. In a video shared by Sky Sports, he looked emotional. He said he will no longer be involved in the daily running of the team, but he will still stay with Red Bull in another role, which hasn’t been explained yet.

“Yesterday I was informed by Red Bull that, operationally, I will no longer be involved with the business or the team moving forward from after this gathering,” he said.

“I will still remain employed by the company, but operationally, the baton will be handed over. That obviously came as a shock to myself, but what I’ve had time to do is to reflect over the last 12 hours or so. 

“And I wanted to stand in front of all of you to break this news and just express my gratitude to each and every single member of the team that has given so much during the last 20 and a half years that I’ve been here. 

“When I arrived 20 years ago, with a few less grey hairs, I walked into the team, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was immediately welcomed. 

“And out of two rundown buildings, we started to build what became a powerhouse in Formula 1. Watching and being part of this team has been the biggest privilege in my life.”