Horner has finally run out of road... good riddance to him

So, Christian Horner is out. Relieved of his duties. Released. The man who once strutted through the F1 paddock with the smugness of a Bond villain and the job security of royalty has finally been handed a one-way ticket out of the Red Bull garage.

- GEMMA ABBOTT

“Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today,” the team’s parent company, Red Bull GmBH, said in a statement on Wednesday.

To be clear: this isn’t a piece gloating about someone losing their job. But if ever there was a fall from grace that felt both inevitable and (dare I say) overdue, it’s Horner’s.

The official reason for his departure hasn’t been disclosed in full. I’m sure statements are being carefully crafted, PR machines are in overdrive, and lawyers are no doubt hovering over every syllable. But we do know one thing: Red Bull has apparently finally decided it’s no longer willing to absorb the PR fallout, the internal tensions and the endless offtrack drama that has surrounded Horner like a toxic cloud for far too long.

And while we may never know exactly which straw broke the camel’s back, we can certainly look at the haystack it came from.

Horner’s leadership of Red Bull Racing has always been divisive. On paper, his CV is golden: multiple constructors’ championships, a conveyor belt of talent, and a team that eventually dethroned the Mercedes dynasty. He has helped turn Red Bull from an energy drink marketing stunt into the most dominant force in Formula One.

But behind the scenes, there have long been whispers of a controlling culture, a tendency to micromanage and a management style that blurred the lines between assertiveness and arrogance.