Christian Horner “no longer able to rely” on his ally in Red Bull ownership

Christian Horner lost support from his key Red Bull ally before his sacking.

That is the claim made by Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater, who says Horner lost the backing of Red Bull’s majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya, who co-founded the company with the late Dietrich Mateschitz.

Despite the scandal surrounding him at the start of 2024, and Red Bull’s declining form, Horner’s role always seemed safe thanks to having the support of Yoovidhya. However, the 51-year-old was left “vulnerable” as that support slowly eroded.

His time at Red Bull ended in his sacking on Wednesday.

“It is a surprise. I saw Horner, and spoke to him, at Silverstone,” Slater told Sky Sports News.

“There is a personal matter in his life now, which I don’t think is connected to this, to deal with which is a burden. He was sombre and serious in the Silverstone paddock.

“In terms of why he and Red Bull have parted ways? We have to look at the faultlines which have been in that team for some time.

“Part of that is the divided ownership of the team. 49% is owned by the Mateschitz family. Mark Mateschitz, the son of Dietrich Mateschitz, owns 49% of the business. That Austrian-owned section have largely been in control of the various sporting projects including the F1 team.

“51% was Thai owned by Chalerm Yoovidhya, who was previously an ally of Horner’s. He supported him through the issues at the company. He stood by Horner during this time.

“My understanding is that support has eventually gone away. Horner was no longer able to rely on him, so has been vulnerable. The Austrian side of the company has been looking to make a change.”

Christian Horner loses Red Bull power struggle

There was also believed to be discontent towards Horner from the Verstappen camp, with Max Verstappen’s father Jos voicing concerns about Red Bull’s future under Horner.

Slater described the relationship between Horner and the Verstappen’s as “uneasy”.

“The other thing is the uneasy relationship between Horner and the Verstappens, particularly Jos Verstappen,” Slater continued.

“He spoke last season about Horner’s enduring leadership of the team potentially tearing it apart.

“In the past year we’ve had Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall and other members of staff [leave Red Bull].

“Red Bull have been trying to build an engine for 2026. The perceived strains within the team, and the ebbing away of success on-track.

“And the image of the team. Image is big for Red Bull - they are selling a drink, at the end of the day. They don’t have advertising campaigns, they use sport.

“Have they lost the image of the happy-go-lucky adventurous brand who enjoyed competition?

“They seem an unhappy team in the past couple of years. A couple of fan surveys have them towards the bottom of the teams that fans like.

“It’s still a surprise because this was a team winning races this year, and Horner was instrumental in what the team has become.

“This is the ultimate end to the power struggle which has been apparent in that team for the past couple of years.

“Ultimately, it is a power struggle that Horner has lost.”