Christian Horner and Red Bull: Bernie Ecclestone explains the split. Bernie Ecclestone shares his perspective on the unexpected split between Christian Horner and Red Bull Racing.

Red Bull distances itself from Horner
During the break between the British Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, the Formula 1 world was stunned by the immediate dismissal of Christian Horner from Red Bull. After twenty years with the Milton Keynes team, Horner lost his role as Team Principal and CEO. Over the summer break, the final ties between the British manager and the team were officially severed, with Horner no longer holding any position at Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Technology, or Red Bull Powertrains.

But what led to this split between Horner and Red Bull? At the beginning of 2024, the British manager was involved in a sexting scandal with a team employee, though the 51-year-old was later cleared after an investigation. In an interview with F1 Destinations, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone shared his theory on Horner’s departure.

Bernie Ecclestone’s theory
According to the 94-year-old, Red Bull’s management disagreed with the plans of the former Team Principal. Without a clear succession plan at Milton Keynes, the company promoted Laurent Mekies from Racing Bulls. “It was a bit like a marriage ending in divorce,” Ecclestone commented. “After the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder of Red Bull, ideas about leadership and the direction of the team emerged that didn’t favor Christian. He did an excellent job, but he was seen, just like Max Verstappen, as someone without a real number two. It’s hard to criticize someone who wins races and championships, but there was no plan B in case something went wrong with Christian or Max.”

A situation seen before with another team
These issues were very similar to what Ecclestone experienced personally in the 1980s as owner of the Brabham team. Nelson Piquet won two world championships in 1981 and 1983, but his teammates Hector Rebaque, Ricardo Zunino, and Riccardo Patrese failed to make an impact with the same car. “This is the problem when a team principal falls in love with one of his drivers,” Ecclestone added. “It can cause problems. It’s ideal to have two drivers more or less equal, like McLaren has today. It works if both drivers are given exactly the same car. When I brought Riccardo Patrese into the team, I told him we had three cars – one for each driver plus a spare – and he had to choose which to drive. In that case, there would be no complaints.”

Ecclestone’s analysis suggests that Red Bull’s leadership vacuum after Dietrich Mateschitz’s death created internal friction. While Horner maintained extraordinary results for the team, the absence of a structured backup plan and clear succession strategy ultimately led to a shake-up in management. This perspective emphasizes the importance of internal balance and succession planning in Formula 1 teams, particularly when a team’s success is heavily tied to both a lead driver and team principal.