Christian Horner losing power
Head of the Red Bull team since 2005, Christian Horner is the longest-serving team principal in Formula 1. But his position now appears more at risk than ever, after a turbulent 2024 and a start to the season that has fallen short of the ownership’s expectations. And Chalerm Yoovidhya—the company’s co-owner—who shielded him last year, now seems to have turned his back on him, disappointed with the team’s results, to the point of stripping him of decision-making power within the team.
The Ferrari rumours
As reported at the end of May, Bild had launched the rumour of a contact between Ferrari and Christian Horner. An approach that the team principal had reportedly rejected, expressing his intention to stay at Red Bull.
The Dutch outlet GpBlog provided an interesting reconstruction of the events, offering context: “Horner clearly realised his time at Red Bull is coming to an end. So much so that it was the Briton himself who leaked to the German press that Ferrari had shown interest in him. Which is true, but it dates back to the distant past and not to recent times.”
…and Flavio Briatore’s siren call
GpBlog also reported that Christian Horner is now “openly flirting” with Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s executive advisor and a close friend of his. The role in question would not be limited to team principal, as Christian Horner is said to be interested in “a shareholding in the French team.”
However, the Dutch outlet adds a note of caution: “There’s a certain urgency for the Briton to find a new team, because the lawsuit with his assistant could make a lot of noise—so much so that no one in F1 may want anything to do with him in the future.”
And it was just two months ago that Flavio Briatore publicly defended Horner, saying: “Nowadays, if you get in an elevator with a woman, you have to be careful…”
