Red Bull boss Christian Horner holds meeting with ex-F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone

Christian Horner has revealed a meeting with ex-Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone ahead of the upcoming 2025 season.

Ecclestone was the chief executive of the Formula One Group for 30 years until the Liberty Media takeover saw him removed from his role in 2017, although he stayed on as chairman emeritus and an advisor to the directors before leaving in 2020.

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Meanwhile, Red Bull chief Horner is coming into one of his most difficult seasons on the track for some time, with his team's dominance on the wane despite Max Verstappen's fourth consecutive drivers' title victory last year.

Red Bull could only finish third in the constructors' championship in 2024, with McLaren and Ferrari both overhauling them with their in-season adjustments and Sergio Perez's struggles dragging the outfit down further.

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Why did Horner and Ecclestone meet up?

Horner and his Red Bull team took the decision to remove Perez from his seat over the off-season, promoting young star Liam Lawson into his place at the main team and bringing Isack Hadjar in to replace him at Racing Bulls.

Last week saw teams reveal their 2025 cars for the first time on track, with three days of extensive testing in Bahrain giving everyone their first glimpses of their rivals' relative pace.

Before that hectic three days though, Horner sat down with Ecclestone, posting a picture of the pair of them on Instagram with the caption 'Great to see F1 legend @bernieecclestoneofficial'.

It's not known what the pair talked about when they met – possibly the 94-year-old's natty coloured glasses and arguably better trimmed beard than Horner – but it feels safe to assume that the new season's prospects came up at least once.

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