Days after getting booted from Red Bull, Bernie Ecclestone slams “idiot” Christian Horner for his sexting scandal

F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone criticized former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner for the allegations against him last year. Horner recently split ways with the team after serving his role for the past two decades.

Despite his achievements with the team, Horner was under the radar last year after a member of the Red Bull Racing crew accused him of ‘inappropriate behavior.’ While an internal investigation was on to look closely into the matter, a Google Drive was leaked amongst the major Formula 1 journalists and team members, which contained screenshots of the alleged chats between the employee and Christian Horner. Multiple messages on the chats in question were s*xually suggestive. However, there was not any confirmation on the genuinity of the said texts.

While the investigation gave a green chit to Horner; however, the damage had been done to the team. Adrian Newey announced his departure, along with other core members. It was reported that the investigation was one of the reasons for it. Moreover, Christian Horner was also abruptly sacked earlier this month.

Bernie Ecclestone, reacting to the entire incident, called Horner an “idiot” as he slammed him for the suggestive chats. He also mentioned that the 51-year-old former team principal acted like he was still in his 20s.

“This other business that he got involved with 18 months ago, he was just an idiot,” he told The Telegraph. “He was a 50-year-old who thought he was 20, thought he was one of the boys.”

Although Red Bull Racing did not give a particular reason for his sacking, this is reportedly one of the reasons among plenty of others.

What were some of the reported reasons for Christian Horner’s firing from Red Bull?

Various reports pointed towards the allegations and internal investigations as possible reasons for Horner’s separation from the team. However, there were some other reasons as well that could potentially have played a role.

The team began underperforming after the second half of the 2024 season. This gave McLaren a clear way to clinch the Constructors’ Championship. However, Max Verstappen‘s huge lead in the Drivers’ standings guaranteed him his fourth consecutive title. But in 2025, the team does not look half as competitive as they were earlier. Verstappen has barely kept himself mathematically in the title fight against the dominating McLarens. Moreover, RBR sits in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Apart from these two, questionable driver choices are also a reported reason. The team has already witnessed three different drivers within the span of a season, and none of them have been able to deliver what Verstappen does at the front of the grid. Red Bull Racing is seemingly in a downward spiral right now. However, it was Christian Horner who served as the team principal for twenty years, bringing the team 124 victories, eight drivers’, and six constructors’ championships.