The Late Braking F1 Podcast - Christian Horner SACKED by Red Bull! | EMERGENCY PODCAST

Episode Date: July 9, 2025

Sam and Harry are on hand to unpack the bombshell news that Horner has been dropped by Red Bull after 2 decades in charge! What triggered the split? What does this mean for Max Verstappen’s future? And with new leaders now in place at both Red Bull and their sister outfit, a big question emerges: can they steady the ship, or is more turmoil ahead? >>> Tickets are now on public sale for our 2025 LIVE SHOW in Austin TX! ⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠ to buy now or for more info!

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Thank you, everyone. We get a chance to play that. We've been around a while gathering dust, so thank you. Yes, we're here. Breaking News, Christian Horner has been fired from Red Bull Racing after 20 years at the helm. of course there from their inception, from they joined the grid, and he has been there for the past two decades, the longest serving team principle, and he is gone.

We have a quote from Red Bull here that says, with his tireless commitment, experience, expertise, and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attracted teams in F1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will remain forever important part of our history. Harry, the question has to be asked. What's the cause of his sacking?

Is it the controversy that happened a year ago? Is it the loss of the likes of Adrian Nui and Jonathan Wheatley? Or are they scrambling to keep Max for stabbing at the team for as long as possible? Because Max was never really in Team Horner. He was always kind of elsewhere. And now Toto is kind of gone fishing. Is there a chance that this is the reason for it? Look, this has been brewing potentially for a while.

We've spoken about these rumours before. He survived what was perhaps the biggest attempt to get rid of him at the start of 2024. So in that sense, this shouldn't be surprising. However, what the heck? What's going on? This is such, such curious timing on Red Bulls part here, especially with the rumour mills around Maxis Stappen's future going on around the British GP. But I don't think there's going to be one cause here.

It feels like maybe the fact that. they are potentially going to lose their biggest asset in Macfus Dapen, or at least that's what the rumors are saying. He could code to Mercedes. That feels like that has become the final straw for the Red Bull, the Red Bull shareholders and management. So yeah, I don't, I don't think we can this down to one thing. It's probably things like the controversies at the start of 2024,

the dip in performance, the loss of Adrian New, the loss of Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall, etc. As they've been drip feeding out of the team over the past 18 months. And the fact that the second seat is the most cursed Formula One seat in F1 at the moment. And that in itself, I think, shouldn't be disregarded as a cause because there are drivers that probably don't want. They've got junior drivers, Isaac Hadjar, as we've spoken beforehand, who doesn't even want to go there to drive in that seat right now. So, yeah, I think it's a combination, but it does feel like this may be the Max Verstappen rumors. I mean, there are only rumors at the moment.

But even so, the fact that it's even a viable option for him seems. to maybe seems to have maybe been the final nail on the coffin for Christian Horner. But what a Wednesday. Indeed. Yeah, we've awoken to serious controversy. Red Bull, Christian Horner were embroiled in this controversy. And over the last 18 to 24 months, we've seen major personnel leaving, Adrian Newey, in Jonathan Wheatley.

But make no bones about it. Max Verstappen is Red Bull's biggest asset. He's their biggest draw and he is their biggest way of how to having success. So far this season, the team have scored 172 points in the constructors, 165 of those points have come from Max Verstappen. So if there is even a sniff that Max for Stappen's walking out that door to join maybe their biggest rivals since they've come into the sport, Mercedes and Soto Wolf, then they are looking to do absolutely anything to keep hold of Max Verstappen. It's very clear that Vastappen and Horner, professionally, we'll get along

with it and get the job done, but they don't seem to see eye to eye, and they are in very much different camps when it comes to the politics side of Red Bull. And if they are now making a last ditch attempt to ensure that Max sticks around for at least the next two or three years and sees out that contract, which runs currently this year until 2028, getting rid of their longest standing team member, their CEO, the person that founded their Formula One team, Christian Horner, if that's the sacrifice they're willing to make, it tells you just how much they rely on Max Verstappen for any form of success. What is next for Max Verstappen?

Harry, do you think that this could be a catalyst for him leaving Red Bull and going to Mercedes? Or do you think actually it might be a saving grace? It could well be. It could well be a saving grace because we've known for a while that the Vastappen camp, as you've already mentioned, Vastappen Camp and Horner Camp have not been getting on. Yoss Vastappen has been desperate to get rid of Christian Rohr for quite some time now. So maybe this is what, maybe this is a, it's been behind the scenes. a condition for Vastan saying and Reble decided that Vastappen is bigger than Christian Horner,

which is a, this in itself is a seismic change. The last time we didn't have Christian Horner as a team principal, I was about eight years old. That was a long time ago. Yeah, I was a nine-year-old boy. I had hair. But it is. It's a seismic change for F-1. And if that is the condition for keeping Max Vastappen, it's quite a bold cool.

as brilliant and great as massive stuff in it. So, yeah, maybe this will just persuade him to stick around for a bit longer at Red Bull. But it's a very big call for Red Bull to make, especially at this point in the season. We've not even got to the summer break. We're just just on a random Wednesday post-British GP. And they've decided now's the time he's got to go to make a difference, which for, for a team principal as longstanding and as successful as Christian Horner, it's a savage way to go.

There aren't many team principals who've had more success than him, Toto Wolf being probably one of them. And yeah, he's just cast aside like he's a nobody. So that in itself is quite a shock. But good to see that Red Bull are keeping up with their traditions, as Bratry Bottas would say, just. firing people and just leaving them by the wayside no matter who they are. So, yeah, I suspect there are many drivers today who are very happy and smug to see that

Pierre Gasley, Alex Albon, Danny Kaffiria, and it was Sergio Perez. He's cackling. They're all cackling on top of their piles of cash. But yeah, would it help the Stafford State? It could well do. Yeah, we've had a lot of change in the Red Bull family, not just to part of the Formula One team, of course. The owner, CEO of Red Bull, Deerriot Mattersets, he passed away recently, of course,

and is now a co-owner that his son, I believe, is part of this as well. So it shows you that there's a lot of cultural change going on here. But when your team principle, through the controversy or not, has brought you eight driver's titles, six constructors titles, and you've only been in the sport for 20 years. You look at some of the other teams that are being here for far longer and you'll even come close to achieving such levels of success. it must have been a monumental decision

to suddenly pull the plug on someone like Christian Horner. We know that the news that came out around him treating certain people within his team have was met with a lot of distaste and understandably so, but they didn't pull the plug then.

So has something happened between then and now changed to cause them to pull the rug out from Christian Horner? Has something happened where actually the scandal that took place a year ago that he went through that apparently through two interiors, investigations was clear of wrongdoing, what has happened realistically between then and right now

to go, nope, that was okay. We've got through that controversy, but right now Christian Horner has to go. Is it the fact that they may be losing Max Verstappen? With this change of Christian Horner seemingly being removed very quickly, it means that Lauren Mechis has had to step into the CEO role at Red Bull Racing and takes on the team principles. He moves from racing balls up. And Alan Perman, who, Was ex-Alping, firing from Alping, is now taking over as the boss at racing balls? Harry, what does this mean for those two? It's a rather quick and sudden change. I mean, if you're Lauren Meckis, you're waking up having your toast this morning and you get told that,

I'd be furious. Like, well, I don't want to move. Why, why don't want to go? I don't want to get to Milton Keynes. Yeah, it's a bit of that that's, I mean, it's the obvious choice, given that they've got another team principal win the Red Bull family and a quite accomplished one. Why not? why not do that.

But yeah, I feel, I feel for him, he's been given a task that he doesn't necessarily want, but, you know, it's a challenge for him. He could well be,

he could well be the, the man for the job to, to sort Red Bull's misfortunes out of the moment. So yeah, wish him, wish him the best of luck and hopefully, hopefully he succeeds,

but just been, it's, I know it happens to drive us sometimes and they get chucked into the deep end, but a team principle, that's such a big deal to just be like, that's like moving off, moving jobs.

and then you start now. They've not graded from firing drivers. They've gone, wow, we run out of drivers to promote fire. Let's let's go into two principles instead. Exactly. It's just, it's like, it's like finishing your old job and starting the new one on the same day. It's quite savage. So I feel for him, but yeah, hopefully they, you know, they can get around him and help,

especially with 2026 looming large. Like, that's such a tough job to take on. And Alan Permanon, I hope he's just, when they get to Belgium, he just stands in front of the Alpine garage and laughs at them all because him and Oscar Piazsche and Aloncso and Ocogne altogether it was literally how it was literally uh this time too is that two years ago I think that Alpine let him go at spa and now he is a team principal of another team so good work Alpine um but yeah I mean that is that in itself is a great call Alan Perman is vastly experienced in F1 and we said this at the time when I

Alpine stupidly let him go. So, yeah, that's a really good call for racing balls. I'm actually less worried for racing balls and I have a Red Bull at this point, because they've got a very steady pair of hands to steer that ship. But yeah, best a lot to both of them. Yeah, I know this is all happened very, very quickly. And what are you turning? It must have been for Mechis, who was ex-Ferrari just over a year ago,

for Permanagh, who, of course, was Alpine two years ago. But whilst we've seen this announcement very quickly, it shows that Red Bull have thought this through because all these announcements have come out in one swift movement. There's no empty seats waiting to be filled. There's no temporary team bosses holding a position that used to be the head of technical or the head of engine who's going to step in for six weeks

while a recruitment process happens. They've done all their work. They've lined up all the dominoes in a row. And then now is when they've decided to push the first one over and set everything into motion. And I wonder if they've had to deliver a full point. plan to again ensure that Max Verstappen and team are content, are happy, believe that there is a success solution in place that when going into these new regulations, the team don't suddenly

fall down the order and only score seven points at that second seat has scored all season long, but actually the second seat can come up to support Max and they're winning far more than they have been over the last season or so. Massage change for so many people. Interesting to see what Mechis does. Interesting to see if that second seat development has any change. for the rest of the season. And of course, I think Pomey will do a great job at racing balls. Hopefully a lot less pressure for him. Hopefully he's able to settle into that role,

have a bit more of a flow, a bit of experience that he could put into these young drivers. Frank's task is probably like, I was at that juniority for so many years. Wouldn't it minding a little go at the top? I retired because I was waiting for so long. So long, waiting in the wings. Never gets the call up, bless him.

We're screaming at his toaster at home now. So many toaster references on this show. Anyway, we should be sponsored by Toasters now. All Toasters. We come on to one umbrella. We're brought to you by Toasters. Oh, good. Well, that's a great place to finish this.

Excellent work. Good. Lots of things that have to come out. We'll have to follow the news story as it comes along. There's another episode of ours coming out very soon, where we actually do talk about Russell, Vestappen, Toto, Wolf and Mercedes. Cabeat that was recorded. before this episode, so we may seem slightly clueless,

but we do discuss all the elements and what it might mean for each of those drivers, so make sure you later on go and listen to that episode to can I get the full picture. We'll continue to bring you any updates happening around Red Bull. What happens against the Christian Corner if he does reappear in the F1 world and if Max Verstappen does indeed go anywhere.

Thanks for listening, folks, thanks for joining us, and we'll see you in the next episode. In the meantime, I'll be Samuel Sage. I've been Harry Eid. And remember, keep breaking late. social podcast network.