Red Bull management blocked Christian Horner’s plans for Alonso and Leclerc

Horner’s blocked driver plans

Red Bull management blocked Horner’s plans to sign Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc for the 2025 season. Perez’s form was "unrecognisable" compared to previous seasons. During the Japanese Grand Prix, Alonso told Horner he wanted to drive alongside Verstappen the following season. Helmut Marko, who acted for Verstappen’s management team, rejected the idea. Horner then turned to Leclerc, who he thought was the perfect driver because he was fast, strong over one lap, and had a determined character. Helmut told Horner to "forget about Charles as well," which ended the pursuit. Horner insists the decision did not come from Verstappen, though you already know how unpredictable driver markets can be.

Missing the engine milestone

Horner felt "hurt and robbed" when he missed seeing the first in-house engine run in a Red Bull car in January 2026 after Red Bull dismissed him in July 2025. He helped launch the Red Bull Powertrains arm in 2021 to manage Honda’s units until the end of 2025. While the DM-01 unit powered Max Verstappen to a pole position and a victory at the recent Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Horner was not there to witness the milestone. He grew the business from 400 people to 2,200 employees during his tenure. He says he poured his "heart and soul" into the startup engine business and felt great sadness because he missed the track debut.

Consequences for the driver lineup

The decision to pass on Alonso and Leclerc led Red Bull to promote Liam Lawson for the 2025 season, but Horner describes the promotion as a mistake. Lawson had only eleven Formula 1 races under his belt, and the team demoted him after only two races in the 2025 season. Isack Hadjar followed Lawson and Tsunoda. Carlos Sainz visited Horner’s home to discuss a move to Red Bull in 2026 shortly before Red Bull removed Horner from his post. Will Red Bull ever attempt to sign such high-profile talent again?