Christian Horner puts final nail in Red Bull coffin

Christian Horner and Red Bull's F1 partnership is no more.

Though it may have seemed in the past as if nothing could topple Horner from his role at the head of Red Bull's F1 team, that illusion was shattered in July 2025, when the team shocked the paddock with a bombshell announcement.

Horner had been sacked and was to be immediately replaced in his team principal role by ex-Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies.

But he didn't actually leave the squad.

The 51-year-old remained firmly on Red Bull's payroll from July onwards, despite Mekies stepping in to take over the team.

Five races on, that decision appears to have paid off, as last weekend in Baku, Max Verstappen returned to the mighty form we became accustomed to in 2023.

Following the Azerbaijan GP, more news came out of Red Bull, not concerning Verstappen, but instead, confirming that a settlement had been reached that meant as of Monday, September 21, the Brit was no longer an employee of Red Bull Racing.

Horner sends clear message to Red Bull rivals

Though Horner walked away from the team with a multi-million pound settlement, it reportedly could have been even higher had he not been interested in taking shorter gardening leave.

Gardening leave is the period where an F1 team member, even those as high up as Horner, must refrain from working for a competitor for a fixed period of time to prevent the transfer of sensitive information which could be beneficial to a rival.

Horner's agreement could reportedly see him return to the paddock as early as 2026, and following the news of his Red Bull exit, he has made a major change that signifies he is now free of the Red Bull association.

Despite being dropped by the energy drinks giants back in July, Horner's display picture on social media remained for months of him in his branded team principal kit.

Alongside that, his bio proudly displayed that he was the Red Bull Racing F1 Principal and CEO for months after the announcement that he in fact wasn't.

But now, that has all changed.

Horner has now delivered the final nail in the Red Bull coffin, cutting all ties with the team.

His Instagram now shows his rivals that he is ready to return to F1 with a new team, with his new Instagram display picture showing him dressed in his usual Oxford farm style that he dons at home away from the track.

His bio? Now empty, with no sign of a Red Bull mention or link to F1, suggesting it could perhaps soon be filled with his affiliation to another team.

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