Laurent Mekies was named as his replacement as CEO, while Alan Permane has been promoted to Team Principal at Racing Bulls.

According to ESPN's Nate Saunders, there were a "series of meetings" at the Austrian Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix, and the atmosphere inside the team had "grown increasingly tense" prior to Horner's dismissal.

Superstar driver Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing executive Oliver Mintzlaff were reportedly involved in at least one of the meetings on Horner's future. Mintzlaff has reportedly "long pushed for a change" in Red Bull's leadership.

Verstappen's relationship with Horner may have been strained as well in the wake of Horner's public falling out with Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, per Saunders.

The decision to part ways with Horner comes after Sky Sports reported last week that Verstappen had engaged in discussions with Mercedes and was "open" to leaving Red Bull for Mercedes in 2026.

Although Sky Sports noted talks between Verstappen and Mercedes were "intensifying," a move to Mercedes remains far from a sure thing for the reigning four-time F1 champion due to the fact that he is under contract with Red Bull through 2028.

Horner, 51, began his tenure as Red Bull Racing CEO in 2005 following a career as a driver that saw him compete at the Formula Three, Formula Two and Formula 3000 levels.

Red Bull Racing enjoyed enormous success under Horner, totaling 124 race wins, eight driver championships and six constructor championships during his 20-year run:

In a statement published on the F1 website, Mintzlaff thanked Horner for his contributions to Red Bull Racing, saying:

"We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years. 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 One.

"Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history."

While the overall success of Red Bull under Horner is undeniable, the 2025 season has surprisingly been a struggle.

Following four straight championships, Verstappen is third in the standings with 165 points, well behind Oscar Piastri in first with 234 points and Lando Norris in second with 226 points.

The other Red Bull driver, Yuki Tsunoda, has essentially been a nonfactor, sitting 17th in the standings. He was promoted to the seat after just two races this season as a replacement for Liam Lawson, who failed to score points in both grands prix.

As a result, Red Bull is a distant fourth in the constructor standings with 172 points. McLaren leads the way with 460 points, followed by Ferrari and Mercedes.

In May, Horner denied rumors he was considering a move to Ferrari after reports surfaced that he had spoken to Ferrari chairman John Elkann about replacing Fred Vasseur as team principal.

However, now that Horner's time at Red Bull has come to an end, it's fair to wonder if Ferrari will emerge as a potential landing spot for him given his friendship with Elkann.