Red Bull Racing, once the undisputed king of Formula 1, is now mired in controversy and instability — a dramatic reversal for a team that had grown used to life at the top of the podium.

The biggest blow came overnight, when Red Bull Racing dismissed Team Principal Christian Horner with immediate effect. 

The decision follows months of scrutiny over allegations of sexual harassment made by a fellow Red Bull team member. While Horner had previously denied any wrongdoing and survived an internal investigation, the pressure mounted after a cache of private messages — reportedly between Horner and his accuser — was leaked to the press and circulated within the sport. 

The team’s belated action in letting Horner go suggests that what was once viewed as containable reputational damage had become untenable.

The fallout is enormous, not just for Horner — one of the most powerful and longest-serving figures in the sport — but for Red Bull Racing as a whole. 

The team, which dominated multiple F1 seasons and built a slick, winning machine built around driver Max Verstappen, now looks increasingly rudderless.

And Horner’s dismissal is just the latest chapter in a steady unravelling of Red Bull’s dominance.

In 2024, the team lost perhaps its most valuable technical brain, car designer Adrian Newey, who departed for rivals Aston Martin. 

Newey’s designs and expertise were central to Red Bull’s championship runs, and his move signalled the beginning of a talent drain that Red Bull has not yet managed to stop.

That same year, Red Bull dropped veteran driver Sergio “Checo” Perez in favour of a young New Zealand prospect in Liam Lawson. In typical Red Bull fashion, however, the gamble was cut short abruptly after Lawson failed to deliver performance. The newcomer was let go partway through the 2025 season after in favour of long-time Red Bull sister team driver Yuki Tsunoda, compounding the team’s instability and raising questions about leadership and recruitment.

Now, the team’s biggest fear is starting to materialise: Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion and cornerstone of Red Bull’s recent success, is reportedly considering activating an exit clause in his contract. 

That clause allows Verstappen to leave if the team’s competitiveness drops. A prospect that looks increasingly likely given Red Bull’s current turmoil on and off the track.

For years, Red Bull Racing seemed untouchable. Under Horner’s leadership and with Newey’s designs, they mastered the technical rule changes of the hybrid era and created a car that consistently outpaced the rest of the field. 

Commercial success mirrored their on-track dominance, with global sponsors and media partners keen to align themselves with one of the sport’s strongest brands.

But Formula 1 is as much about perception as it is about performance. The reputational damage from the Horner scandal, combined with internal leadership churn and a faltering driver line-up, threatens to undo the brand equity Red Bull has built over the past decade.

The business of F1 is unforgiving. Sponsors, investors, and fans expect performance, professionalism and stability. Right now, Red Bull is struggling to deliver any of the three.

As the team scrambles to restructure its leadership and hold on to Verstappen (who is reportedly eyeing a move to Mercedes), its rivals are circling. 

Mercedes and Ferrari have rebuilt after their own rough patches, McLaren is resurgent, and Aston Martin now boasts Newey’s technical genius. For the first time in years, Red Bull no longer looks like the team to beat.

Their wings, it seems, have been well and truly clipped.