Red Bull abruptly ended Christian Horner’s two-decade reign as team principal Wednesday, closing a chapter marked by eight Formula 1 drivers’ titles amid recent turbulence on and off the track.

While the team offered no explanation for the move, its statement expressed gratitude for Horner’s contributions, saying he will "forever remain an important part of our team history.”

Laurent Mekies, currently with sister team AlphaTauri, will step up as the new team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing.

"From my first race win to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes – winning memorable races and breaking countless records. Thank you for everything, Christian!” F1 champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull posted on social media.

Horner had been Red Bull team principal since the team entered Formula 1 as a constructor in 2005. He performed his team and media duties as usual throughout last week’s British Grand Prix.

His wife is Geri Halliwell – known as Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls – and Horner became a celebrity figure through Netflix’s F1 docuseries Drive to Survive, where his rivalry with Mercedes’ Toto Wolff was a key storyline. He and Verstappen were booed at the season launch in London in February.

During his tenure, Horner oversaw eight F1 drivers’ titles – four for Sebastian Vettel and four for Verstappen – along with six constructors’ championships.

However, McLaren has dominated this season, while Red Bull’s performance has dipped. Defending champion Verstappen currently sits third in the standings, and Red Bull is fourth.

Sky Sports News aired a clip of Horner speaking at the team’s headquarters in Milton Keynes, England, describing the decision as a "shock” and appearing emotional as he addressed staff.

Horner spent much of last week addressing questions about Verstappen’s future after the Dutch driver declined to commit to Red Bull beyond 2025. Zak Brown, CEO of rival McLaren, said last week it would be a "disaster” for Red Bull if Verstappen were to leave.

Horner is the latest in a series of high-profile departures at Red Bull in the past 18 months. Car design legend Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin, and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley left for Sauber, soon to become the Audi works team. These changes followed the 2022 death of Dietrich Mateschitz, billionaire co-founder of Red Bull and architect of its F1 project.

The team also shuffled drivers, dropping Sergio Perez at the end of last season and briefly partnering Verstappen with Liam Lawson. Lawson was then replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who has yet to score points in five races.

"We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years,” Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull’s chief executive for corporate projects and investments, said in a statement.

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

The announcement comes more than a year after Horner was accused of misconduct toward a team employee. An investigation commissioned by Red Bull dismissed the allegation, as did a further review after the employee appealed. Horner remained in charge of the team throughout the process.

A former driver whose racing career stalled just below F1, Horner was the youngest team principal in Formula 1 at age 32 when he took charge of Red Bull in 2005, after the parent company purchased Jaguar Racing. He’s the only team principal Red Bull has known.

As team principal and CEO, Horner held unusually broad authority for an F1 boss. Last week, he said he expected to remain in charge for years to come.

"We have a very tight senior management, a very strong structure,” Horner said. "We’ve got strength in depth. We don’t feel, and I certainly don’t feel, that there’s a need to change or tune it.”

Horner’s departure comes amid Red Bull’s preparations for one of the biggest rule changes in F1 in decades next season. The team will build its own engines in partnership with Ford, a project led by Horner.

At sister team AlphaTauri, Alan Permane will be promoted from racing director to team principal to fill the vacancy left by Mekies.

"It’s an honor to be part of this group of brilliant people that embody the Red Bull spirit,” Mekies said in a statement. "Together we will achieve great results, building on the incredible legacy left by Christian Horner during his two decades in charge.”

Horner expressed his feelings on social media.

"After an incredible journey of 20 years together, it is with a heavy heart that today I say goodbye to the team I have absolutely loved,” Horner said on Instagram.

"It’s been an honor to be part of this incredible era of motorsport. I leave with immense pride in what we’ve achieved and also with what’s in the pipeline for 2026 – and huge respect for everyone who’s made F1 the pinnacle it is today.”