Could Red Bull sack Christian Horner after the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP, should their upgrade plans fail to get Max Verstappen back into the mix against the runaway McLaren cars in the latest Formula 1 season?
The four-time world champion has only taken one victory through six races to open the campaign as the team continues to lose lap time compared to their rivals, finishing 40 seconds behind Oscar Piastri at the Miami International Autodrome.
Away from pure performance on the track, there are also fears Verstappen could quit like key figures in recent years such as Rob Marshall (chief engineering officer), Adrian Newey (chief technical officer) and Jonathan Wheatley (sporting director).
The Dutchman, who is the defending champion, is thought to be unwilling to remain in the sport if he does not have a competitive car – but rivals such as Mercedes and Aston Martin are also lurking to poach his services.
So Italian media reports that if things do not turn around in Imola, thet the 51-year-old will lose the faith of the Thai owners in the parent company; who hold a 51% stake in the Austrian brand.
According to FormulaPassion.it, Thailand investors already prevented Horner from being fired, so the question is could Red Bull really sack Christian Horner after Emilia Romagna GP?
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Helmut Marko has already confirmed upgrades will be brought to Imola, officially titled the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, as the team aims to step forwards; building upon updates in Saudi Arabia and Miami.
Although catching McLaren remains a long shot, the 81-year-old hopes Red Bull will trend towards Zak Brown’s team but admits to Oe24.com that they only secured pole in Miami because of errors from Lando Norris and Piastri.
Who could replace Horner if Red Bull sack him?
There are a variety of names who could potentially step into the role of team principal at Red Bull, with personalities such as Laurent Mekies at RB, Marcin Budkowski, Mike Krack, Franz Tost and names within the team’s own structure.
However, Autosprint reports the man to fill the shoes could be Oliver Oakes who dramatically quit Alpine on May 6. The 37-year-old helped stabilise the team following a chaotic start to 2024, as they went on to secure second and third at the Brazilian GP.
The leading theory is that Oakes quit once Flavio Briatore, Alpine executive advisor, decided to replace Jack Doohan in favour of Argentina’s Franco Colapinto; but there are claims he could have been picked by Red Bull with 2026 in mind.
