Christian Horner finalizes departure from Red Bull F1 team

MILTON KEYNES, England (AP) — Christian Horner and Red Bull say they have finalized the process of Horner leaving the team he led to eight Formula 1 drivers’ titles, two months after he was removed as team principal.

The team issued a statement saying that Horner would leave Monday, without giving details of any agreement.

“Leading Red Bull Racing has been an honor and privilege,” Horner said in the statement. “When we started in 2005, none of us could have imagined the journey ahead — the championships, the races, the people, the memories.”

Horner had been away from the F1 paddock since July, when the Red Bull parent company said it had “released Christian Horner from his operational duties with immediate effect” and appointed Laurent Mekies in his place.

The Red Bull company’s chief executive for corporate projects and investments, Oliver Mintzlaff, thanked Horner on Monday for “his exceptional work over the last 20 years.”

Horner had been Red Bull team principal since it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005.

His last race in charge of the team was the British Grand Prix, in a season in which the team had struggled to keep up with F1’s leading team McLaren. A series of high-profile executives had also left the team over the previous year and a half, including car design great Adrian Newey.

Since Horner was removed, Max Verstappen has won two of Red Bull’s five Grands Prix under Mekies, including Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as well as a sprint race.

Last year, Horner was accused of misconduct toward a team employee.

An investigation conducted on behalf of the Red Bull company dismissed the allegation, as did a further investigation conducted after the employee appealed against the initial ruling, Red Bull said at the time.

Horner remained in charge of the F1 team throughout the entire process.

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