Red Bull Gives Team Boss Christian Horner The Axe In F1 Stunner

After 20 years, multiple world championships in the drivers' and constructors' standings, and 124 race wins, Red Bull has decided to part ways with Christian Horner.

How about that piece of news to wake up to?

The team announced on Wednesday.

"Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing," a Red Bull spokesperson said, per Formula1.com. "Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments thanked Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years."

Laurent Mekies — team principal of Red Bull's sister team Racing Bulls — will take over as CEO and team principal, while he will be replaced as Racing Bulls team boss by racing director Alan Permane.

After 20 years, Red Bull has decided to part ways with team principal Christian Horner.. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Horner was the only team principal and had been instrumental in building the team, formerly Stewart Grand Prix and Jaguar Racing, into one of Formula 1's most successful teams.

However, in recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that there are some problems, as key personnel, including design wizard Adrian Newey, have started leaving the team.

Things got even more dire as rumors swirled that Red Bull's star driver and four-time champ Max Verstappen has been talking to Mercedes about jumping ship, with reports claiming that his camp had not been happy with Horner.

Still, while the writing was on the wall, the timing of this announcement in the middle of the season, just days after the British Grand Prix, was nothing short of shocking.

Lauren Mekies will move from Racing Bulls to Red Bull to serve as the latter's new CEO and team principal. (Photo by MAX SLOVENCIK/APA/AFP via Getty Images)

What's Next For Red Bull?

Item No. 1 on Red Bull's to-do list is proving to Max Verstappen that they're still capable of being a championship-contending team, and the best way to do that is to figure out how to make the team's notoriously unwieldy car, the RB21, more drivable.

Sure, Max Verstappen has occasionally managed to get some results out of it, but that's because he's a freak of nature.

That'll be Mekies' mission when he walks through the doors at Milton Keynes, but he also needs to bring some stability to the team from a leadership perspective.

While the timing of the Horner news seemed sudden, it seems like there was a reason for it, and that would be the three-week gap between the British Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix later this month.

Giving Mekies the opportunity for some extended time at the factory is a smart call by the team.

It'll be interesting to see how this shakes out when we get to the Belgian Grand Prix weekend from July 25 to July 27, and if this move will help squash some of those rumors about Max Verstappen moving on to Mercedes.