Christian Horner Fired as Red Bull Team Principal in Major F1 Shakeup

Christian Horner, the husband of Geri Halliwell, has been fired from the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team one year after being cleared of inappropriate behavior.

Horner, 51, who was the longest-running team principal since joining in 2005, is being replaced by Laurent Mekies as the new CEO of Red Bull Racing.

“Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO (chief executive) of Red Bull Racing,” a spokesperson for Red Bull said in a statement on Wednesday, July 9. “We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years.”

The statement expressed gratitude for Horner’s time with the team.

“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 attractive teams in Formula 1,” the statement continued. “Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history.”

Horner was originally accused of inappropriate behavior after allegations were brought against him in a February 2024 report by Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf. The specific details were not made public, and Horner denied the allegations.

“I obviously deny fully the allegations that have been made against me,” he told CNN at the time before he was officially cleared following an investigation from a female colleague.

A document loaded with screenshots of sexually suggestive text messages ultimately leaked. The messages — allegedly from Horner — were directed toward an unnamed female employee. One month later, Red Bull said it was “confident that the investigation” into Horner’s alleged behavior was “fair, rigorous and impartial.” They noted that the “complainant has a right of appeal” to the decision.

“The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed,” Red Bull Racing said in a statement in March 2024.

ESPN reported that same month that the female employee who accused Horner of inappropriate behavior had been suspended from Red Bull Racing due to findings in the investigation.

Horner said he couldn’t comment on “anything confidential between an employee and a company” during a press conference. He also publicly said he was not considering resigning as team principal. (After a successful driving career, Horner retired from racing in 1999 and took his job at F1 at the age of 25, which made him the youngest team principal at the time.)

“I am fully committed. I built this team. I convinced people to come and work here,” he told Sky News.

Horner also noted that his wife, Halliwell, 52, was “very supportive” after the allegations. The couple started dating after they met at a racing event in 2009. After several years together, Horner and Halliwell tied the knot in 2015. They share son Montague, 7, and both have children — Bluebell, 17, and Olivia, 10 — from previous relationships.