How Did Christian Horner React After SHOCK Red Bull Axe?

F1 Presenter David Croft revealed Christian Horner's emotional reaction after being forced out of Red Bull Racing.

How Did Christian Horner React After SHOCK Red Bull Axe?

Christian Horner (via Reuters)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has been officially sacked by the energy drinks giant. The 51-year-old will leave his role after two decades, marking the end of an era for the F1 team. The news of Horner’s exit came as a shock to fans and pundits alike. However, no one would’ve been more affected than the massive staff members at Milton Keynes. The Briton was in an emotional state as he addressed his squad for the last time, as revealed by F1 pundit, David Croft.

Christian Horner has led Red Bull Racing since the Austrian team entered the sport in 2005. The energy drinks giant inherited a small base in Milton Keynes when it purchased the Jaguar F1 operation. Horner was instrumental in growing the campus in the past two decades, completely transforming the location. Now, the walls of the Red Bull F1 headquarters will no longer have space for the man who had once signed off their construction.

David Croft, who was in touch with personnel at Red Bull Racing, gave an overview of how things panned out during Christian Horner’s last day. The F1 pundit pointed out the now axed-Red Bull boss had built a 1000 strong team, not including the upcoming Red Bull Ford Powertrains operation. Crofty insisted that the staff was disappointed to see their leader be shown the door, after spending years in building something so special.

In Christian Horner’s time as CEO and team principal. He has seen extensions and engine factories and wind tunnel factories built. Workforce increased to well over a thousand people now and that’s just on the car side, the the engine side, the wind tunnel that’s been built as well, employing even more. And from those that we’ve managed to speak to it is a unified sense of disappointment and sadness at a man that they see has unified their team.

David Croft said on Sky F1

The 55-year-old further stated that Christian Horner was extremely emotional as he bid farewell to Red Bull Racing. In his final speech, the Briton broke down on a couple of occasions, but tried to keep his composure in his last discussion with the hundreds of personnel he had managed for 20 years. David Croft claimed that the staff reacted with a massive applause for the Briton. Crofty asserted that the team members remained loyal to the man who led them to glory at the pinnacle of motorsport over the years.

The speech that Christian Horner gave this morning to the factory we understand was hugely emotional and Christian himself was very emotional and broke down on occasion. And he received a massive ovation at the end of that speech from a workforce that are very loyal to him because he has helped bring success and bonuses and world championship glory.

David Croft added

Christian Horner gives blank reaction as he departs Milton Keynes

The Austrian team has promoted Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies to CEO of the main team. Though, no direct replacement for the role of Red Bull’s team principal has been named yet. Mekies will be replaced by Alan Permane at Racing Bulls. While Red Bull Racing will swiftly move on, things will not be easy for Christian Horner.

Christian Horner
Christian Horner (via F1)

David Croft was standing right at the gate of the Red Bull base at Milton Keynes. He spotted Horner leaving in his car for the final time. Usually, the Briton would often acknowledge media personnel, with a friendly smile or a wave, he was not in such a mood this time around. Crofty recalled that Christian Horner had a completely blank expression as he made his way out of the campus for the last time.

I was stood here… [and] he looked fairly impassive, I think, just staring ahead in his car. There was no thumbs up, there were no waves. He drove out of the gates here for what now seems to be the final time.

David Croft explained

Certainly, Christian Horner must be devastated by his exit from Red Bull Racing, a team he built from the beginning. Formula 1 is a brutal sport, with no space for emotional decisions. It was finally time for Milton Keynes to move on from Horner’s leadership with massive cracks having developed in the past couple of years. While the Briton is yet to formally address his departure, the team will be working around the clock for the next race of the season.

Read More: Max Verstappen’s Camp Breaks Silence on Christian Horner’s SHOCK Red Bull Axe