Christian Horner 'allies' set to depart as Red Bull 'stand down' two other key figures

Christian Horner isn't the only high-profile figure set to depart the Red Bull F1 team, with chief marketing officer Oliver Hughes and Group Director of Communications Paul Smith also reportedly leaving. The 51-year-old Horner was the longest-serving and second-most successful team boss in F1 history, but was effectively sacked from his role by the team's parent company Red Bull GmbH on Tuesday.

Horner was in tears on Wednesday morning after travelling to the team's Milton Keynes factory to deliver the news to a stunned 1500-strong workforce. "The decision came as a shock to myself," he said. 

"I have had a chance to reflect over the last 12 hours and I wanted to stand in front of all of you to break this news and just express my gratitude to each and every single member of the team that has given so much during the 20 and a half years that I have been here. Being part of this team has been the biggest privilege in my life."

Oliver Hughes (far left) and Paul Smith (far right) are also said to be departing Red Bull with Christian Horner. Image: Getty

According to multiple reports, two of Horner's closest 'allies' in Hughes and Smith are also on the way out. Hughes and Smith are said to have been placed on 'gardening leave' - a term used to describe an employee of a company being stood down (on full pay) before a full departure. According to 'Planet F1': "It is a widely used practice in F1 to protect sensitive information and relationships."

According to reports, Smith was involved in an exchange with Jos Verstappen after son Max finished fifth in the most recent Grand Prix at Silverstone. Jos was reportedly unhappy with some of Smith's communication with the wider media.

Paul Smith and Oliver Hughes are staunch supporters of Christian Horner. Image: Getty

Max Verstappen with father Jos and Christian Horner in February. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Verstappen Sr had previously declared Max would leave Red Bull and join rivals Mercedes unless Horner departed. Max paid tribute to Horner on Tuesday night, saying: "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."

Max Verstappen won a fourth-consecutive world championship in 2024, but has failed to confirm whether he'll see out the remainder of his current deal that runs until 2028. His fifth-placed finish at Silverstone continued a disappointing run of recent results.

At the season-ending Bahrain Grand Prix last year, Horner was cleared of wrongdoing following an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct. Hundreds of WhatsApp messages - appearing to be exchanged between Horner and the complainant - were then leaked to the F1 world.

Horner - married to former Spice Girls singed Geri Halliwell - had managed to keep the Red Bull hierarchy onside and fought on. He's always denied the claims and was exonerated for a second time of controlling behaviour by an independent Kings Counsel last August.

He had maintained the backing of Thai businessman Chalerm Yoovidhya - Red Bull’s majority owner - but Yoovidhya was noticeably absent from a charity event held before Silverstone last week, hosted by Horner and his wife Geri. According to the UK Telegraph: "Yoovidhya backed Horner for as long as he could but has clearly decided things can no longer go on as they are."

Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2024. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Horner lost a number of key allies along the journey, with design guru Adrian Newey, chief designer Rob Marshall and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley all departing. Red Bull Group CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said on Tuesday: "We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history."

with agencies

This article originally appeared on Yahoo Sport Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/christian-horner-allies-depart-as-red-bull-sack-three-key-figures-from-formula-1-team-011746336.html

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