Christian Horner says his exit from Red Bull was "pretty abrupt and quite brutal".
The Briton was removed as Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal in July 2025 after 20 years in the job and replaced by Laurent Mekies.
Horner headlined the Autosport Business Exchange in New York, which returned to the city for its second edition. The 52-year-old joined a line-up of panellists, including seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, and reflected on his career in Formula 1, his time at Red Bull and his potential future roles.
Autosport Business Exchange returned to New York City, bringing together senior leaders from across motorsport, business and brands at the Manhattan Motorcars showroom to examine racing's growth in AmericaChristian Horner made his first U.S. appearance at the event since leaving Oracle Red Bull RacingOther panellists included seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, former chairman and CEO of Formula 1 Chase Carey, General Motors' Mark Reuss, Penske's Jonathan Gibson and NASCAR's Tim Clark.During an on-stage conversation at the event with CBS News anchor Errol Barnett, Horner was asked whether his departure had come as a surprise.
"Yes and no. I think the timing of it was pretty abrupt and quite brutal, but I felt that things were changing. Nothing stays the same forever," Horner explained.
"After the founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, sadly passed at the end of '22, it was always going to be the case that the company was going to evolve and was going to change. And Dietrich, he was Red Bull. He was the power behind it. He made all the big decisions.
Chase Carey, Ben Fund, Derek Chang, Jonathan Gibson, Werner Brell, Christian Horner, Mark Reuss and Jimmie Johnson
"Obviously, trying to replace somebody like that is impossible. Inevitably, as the group evolved and took on that challenge, it was just different. And there was a drive to bring more control back into the head office. And that sat differently from the autonomy that we'd enjoyed at Red Bull Racing and in Milton Keynes.
"So it was a different path that we were on, and you could feel that was changing. It wasn't that it was right or wrong. It was just different. Certainly, it was what had allowed us to achieve so much success over the years. So inevitably, it came to an end."
During his time at the Milton Keynes outfit, Horner worked with drivers including Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Mark Webber, among others. Vettel and Verstappen both became four-time champions with Red Bull.
Horner also led the team to six constructors' championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022 and 2023, and eight drivers' championships in 2010-13 and 2021-24.
"But with time, I reflect with great pride on what I achieved at Red Bull," Horner continued. "I'm very proud of what we all did there. And I feel very privileged to have worked with some amazing, amazing drivers.
"But most importantly, with some just brilliant and amazing people, a collection of people that gave their everything and achieved some remarkable results."
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