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Christian Horner’s departure, announced on July 9, 2025, marked the end of an era for Red Bull Racing, a team he transformed from a fledgling outfit in 2005 into a powerhouse with 124 Grand Prix victories, 107 pole positions, 287 podiums, six Constructors’ Championships, and eight Drivers’ Championships. While no official reason was provided, it was reported a combination of on-track struggles, internal tensions, and the loss of key personnel, including Adrian Newey and Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, contributed to the move. Despite his abrupt exit, Horner’s recent move underscores his enduring connection to the team he led for 20 years.
Reports claim that in a heartwarming gesture amidst a turbulent period for Red Bull Racing, former Team Principal Christian Horner has reached out to driver Yuki Tsunoda with a message of encouragement ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix 2025. “I got a message from him actually yesterday that (said) ‘Show what you can do’. It was a nice message”, said Tsunoda. While reacting to the message he said, “I appreciate how Christian supported me at various races.” Tsunoda has struggled to score points since joining Red Bull at round three of the F1 2025 championship, the Japanese Grand Prix, bringing in just seven in his 10 starts. That’s well down on the 129 his team-mate Max Verstappen has scored in the same period.
Laurent Mekies replaces Christian Horner as Red Bull Racing Team Principal
Yuki Tsunoda called the moment of Christian Horner getting removed as “big change” for the team, reportedly he also revealed that he “got the information from Helmut on that day”. Horner was replaced by former Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies with immediate effect, with the Belgian Grand Prix marking the Frenchman’s first race in charge of the Milton Keynes team. It means Tsunoda has reunited with his former team boss, having worked with Mekies last season when the former Ferrari Racing Director joined Racing Bulls.
“With Laurent, I know him since VCARB and we’ve worked really well. We had a good start of the year in terms of performance,” Tsunoda said. Notably, the team sits fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, 288 points behind leaders McLaren, with Verstappen trailing championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points.
