TAKING BULL BY THE HORNS

Horner's opponents force him out after crisis behind scenes

- By Daniel Moxon

THE timing of Christian Horner's Red Bull exit yesterday caught the Formula One world by surprise.

But the team had been in turmoil behind the scenes for close to 18 months and something had to give.

Powerful forces have been trying to oust Horner since the sexting scandal of February 2024.

Horner was accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female colleague, which he denied.

Red Bull chiefs surprised the race team by launching an investigation, including hiring an external KC who interviewed him for hours and later cleared him of wrongdoing.

But his opponents smelled blood, despite the team's track dominance.

"The higher you rise, the sharper the knives," Horner told Netflix cameras for their popular Drive to Survive docudrama.

One of the sharpest knives was in the grasp of star driver Max Verstappen's father Jos.

At the height of last year's scandal he called for the team principal's head, saying Red Bull would be "torn apart" if he was not replaced.