Christian Horner Steps Down from Red Bull Racing

Christian Horner has officially announced his departure from his Red Bull Racing, effective immediately on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The current British team boss, who has featured on the face of Red Bull in the past 20 years, will be replaced with a promotion of current Laurent Mekies, who is acting as the boss of Racing Bulls. This is one big leadership shift that creates a turning point in the history of the winning F1 team.

Red Bull have released Christian Horner from his operational duties with immediate effect and have appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing 🚨 pic.twitter.com/nj0mf9b1MZ
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) July 9, 2025

Christian Horner also signed with Red Bull Racing in the year 2005 when the team joined Formula 1. Within 20 years, Horner made Red Bull change its identity, and given that it was a young team at the point of a serious struggle when the team was to win the points, Horner turned it into one of the most successful teams of F1 ever. During his reign, the Red Bull managed to gather several championship titles and emerge as a powerhouse in motorsports.

Christian Horner’s Two-Decade Legacy at Red Bull Racing

Christian Horner is a career man who joined the Red Bull team in 2004, when the firm acquired the Jaguar F1 team. Having been the first CEO and Team Principal of the team, Horner helped Red Bull Racing build since its formation. His management philosophy and strategic capability made Red Bull reach high success on the racetrack.

At Red Bull, the team achieved many constructor titles and driver championships at the time that Horner served in a high rank. His skills in managing the best drivers, setting up liaisons with the technical departments, and making other strategic decisions in races have earned him to be as one of the most respected team principals in Formula 1. During his career, the Red Bull boss collaborated with famous racing drivers and assisted in developing young talent.

The success of Red Bull under Christian Horner was not only about winning the races. He also assisted in establishing a special team culture that made the best designers, engineers, and drivers come to the organization. The fact that he was not afraid to take bold steps managing a team and even grasping the politics of F1 racing made Red Bull a great opponent to such giants as Ferrari or Mercedes.

The exit of Christian Horner will be a game-changer for Red Bull Racing. Oliver Mintzlaff, the CEO of Corporate Projects and Investments, has commended the efforts of Horner, saying that he was indefatigable, which made Red Bull Racing to become one of the most prominent teams in Formula 1.

Laurent Mekies Steps Up as New Red Bull CEO

Laurent Mekies, who has been working as the team boss at Racing Bulls (sister team of Red Bull), is now going to become the CEO of Racing Bulls. The promotion is but a logical step forward in the career of Mekies, who has already demonstrated his skills in running F1 operations and is well aware of the Red Bull culture.

Laurent Mekies has a long experience in Formula 1 when working with other teams before entering the Red Bull family. Being technically qualified and having managerial experience, he was a very suitable candidate to handle Red Bull organization. At Racing Bulls, Mekies proved to be a capable leader of a competitive F1 team, as well as made an impression that he can work with technical staff and drivers.

It is unlikely that this transition between Christian Horner and Laurent Mekies will be dramatic, as these two leaders have very similar ideas regarding the managerial part of work in the team and approaches to racing strategies. Mekies has also sounded happy that he is getting this new challenge and would be carrying on with the legacy that Horner has created over more than two decades.

In line with management change, Alan Permane will be elevated to the rank of Team Principal in Racing Bulls. Permane, who before this served as the Racing Director, has relevant experience and extensive familiarity with the workings of the team. In an interview, Laurent Mekies has claimed that Permane is the ideal man to succeed Racing Bulls because of the maturity that he already has about the team and the contributions to its initial successes.