Red Bull removes Christian Horner as director of Formula 1 team

Christian Horner has been removed as a director of Red Bull’s Formula 1 team with immediate effect.

In separate filings to the UK’s Companies House on Thursday, Red Bull Racing Ltd, Red Bull Technology Ltd and Red Bull Powertrains Ltd announced that Horner has ceased to be a director.

No further information was provided in the documents, including the reason behind his departure from the companies.

The move comes a month after Horner was dismissed as team principal and CEO, with Laurent Mekies promoted from sister squad Racing Bulls to take charge.

In a farewell message to the team’s staff at Milton Keynes, Horner had clarified at that time that he would “still remain employed by the company, but operationally, the baton will be handed over.”

He was understood to have been placed on gardening leave until the end of the year, after which he would be free to take another job.

It is unclear whether Thursday’s announcement alters his status beyond stripping him of remaining operational authority. Crash.net has contacted Red Bull for clarification.

Horner had been with Red Bull since its inception in 2005 and guided the squad to eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ titles in its two decades at the helm of the team.

He gained worldwide fame on Netflix’s Drive to Series, particularly due to his rivalry with Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff.

His long-term position appeared secure after Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz handed him a fresh contract shortly before his death in 2022.

However, at the start of the 2024 F1 season, he was accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female employee, leaving him on shaky grounds.

He was later cleared of wrongdoing, but relations with the company’s new leadership soured, culminating in his dismissal after the British Grand Prix in July.