Red Bull fires F1 team principal Christian Horner after 20 title-filled years

Longtime Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was fired abruptly on Wednesday after a 20-year stint that included eight Formula 1 drivers' titles and a rise to celebrity status.

Red Bull did not give a reason for the decision in a statement Wednesday, but thanked Horner for his work and said he will "forever remain an important part of our team history."

Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls will replace Horner in his role as chief executive of the Red Bull team.

Horner had been Red Bull team principal since it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005. He had performed his team and media duties as normal throughout the British Grand Prix last week.

His wife is Geri Halliwell — Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls — and Horner himself became a celebrity figure through his prominence on Netflix's F1 docuseries "Drive To Survive," where his bitter rivalry with Mercedes' Toto Wolff was a key plot point. He and F1 champion Max Verstappen were booed at the season launch in London in February.

Horner oversaw eight F1 drivers' titles — four for Sebastian Vettel and four for Verstappen — and six constructors' titles during his time with the team.

But McLaren has dominated this season in F1, while Red Bull's performance has dipped, though defending champion Verstappen remains third in the standings and the team is fourth.

Horner spent much of last week fielding questions over Verstappen's future at the team after the Dutch driver declined to commit to stay with Red Bull for 2026. Zak Brown, boss of rival McLaren, told The Associated Press last week it would be a "disaster" for Red Bull if Verstappen were to leave.

Horner is the latest in a series of high-profile executives to leave the team over the last year and a half. Car