Although Horner's departure reason is unknown, it is believed that a series of performance issues and internal power battles played a role.
Christian Horner’s dismissal did not surprise McLaren CEO Zak Brown because of the continuous “drama” at Red Bull. Horner guided Red Bull to 14 world titles throughout his 20 years in that position, but on July 9, his time as manager came to a spectacular conclusion. 17 months after a female employee accused him of “inappropriate behaviour,” he resigned. The 51-year-old Horner was twice cleared and consistently disputed the allegations.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who is 69 points behind the leaders heading into this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, has been frequently linked to a departure from Red Bull due to the team’s struggles on the track this season.
When he assumed leadership of the team in 2005, Horner was the youngest F1 team principal. He has since presided over two periods of supremacy during which Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel both won four straight driver’s titles.
Concerns regarding Verstappen’s future at Red Bull have been raised by his on-track difficulties; the Dutchman has been linked to a move to rival Mercedes. The news concerning Horner did not surprise Brown, whose McLaren team had dominated for a large portion of the 2025 season.
“The timing may surprise me, but the outcome doesn’t,” Brown said on Canadian television network TSN. “There has been a lot of drama there over the past few years, and it doesn’t appear like it has been going away in fact, it may have been getting worse. Therefore, I’m not shocked at any point during the season. However, we’re focussing on winning the championship.”
“We need to take note of the fact that Max is still hammering on the door. However, they have enjoyed a great deal of success.” Brown added.
The 2025 Formula One season has started off well for McLaren. With 460 points, it is ahead of second-place Ferrari by 238 points in the constructors’ championship. Oscar Piastri is now ahead of his teammate Lando Norris by eight points in the drivers’ championship. Piastri has five grand prix victories to Norris’s four from the year’s first twelve races.
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