Christian Horner, the long-serving Team Principal of Red Bull Racing since 2005, could face dismissal amid a disappointing start to the 2025 Formula One season, according to recent reports. Horner has overseen an impressive era for Red Bull, leading the team to over 120 Grand Prix victories, eight Drivers’ Championships, and six Constructors’ Championships. However, this season, Red Bull sits third in the Constructors’ standings with only one race win, achieved by star driver Max Verstappen, marking a notable dip in performance.
The team’s struggles have not gone unnoticed by Red Bull’s hierarchy. Italian outlet AutoSprint reports that Horner risks losing the support of the Thai shareholding family, led by Chalerm Yoovidhya, who hold a 51% stake in Red Bull GmbH (the remaining 49% is owned by Mark Mateschitz). Should the planned upgrades for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola fail to significantly improve the team’s competitiveness, Horner’s future could be in serious jeopardy.
This season has been challenging for Horner beyond just race results. The Red Bull car has been outperformed by rivals such as McLaren, and the team has made controversial driver changes, notably demoting Liam Lawson after just two races due to poor form and replacing him with Yuki Tsunoda. These issues have compounded the perception of stagnation within the team.
If Red Bull decides to part ways with Horner, reports suggest that former Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes is the leading candidate to replace him. Oakes resigned from Alpine earlier in May 2025 amid internal team changes, including the promotion of Franco Colapinto to a race seat. Oakes and Horner share parallels as two of the youngest F1 team principals in history, and Oakes is believed to have been offered the Red Bull role contingent on Horner’s departure.
Despite these rumors, some sources, including PlanetF1, have dismissed the speculation as short-term concerns rather than a definitive threat to Horner’s position. They view the current performance issues as temporary and not alarming to the shareholders.
In summary, Christian Horner’s tenure at Red Bull is reportedly under threat due to the team’s underwhelming 2025 performance and internal challenges. The upcoming upgrades at the Emilia Romagna GP are seen as a critical test for Horner’s future, with Oliver Oakes positioned as a potential successor should Red Bull’s owners decide to make a change.
