Christian Horner SNUBBED in official Red Bull Team announcement due to a drama between…read more
Christian Horner Snubbed in Official Red Bull Team Announcement
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has recently been the subject of a notable snub following an official announcement from the team. The move came after Sergio Perez decided to take a ‘sabbatical’ from Formula 1 after a disappointing 2024 season, resulting in the Mexican driver stepping down from his full-time seat with Red Bull.
In a surprising turn, Red Bull chose to promote Liam Lawson, despite the New Zealand driver having participated in only 11 races in his short F1 career. This decision effectively sidelined Lawson’s teammate at AlphaTauri, Yuki Tsunoda, who has spent four full seasons with Red Bull’s junior team. Tsunoda was widely considered a favorite to make the leap to Red Bull, especially with the team’s longstanding partnership with Honda, but the promotion of Lawson has sparked disappointment among fans.
The 2024 season will see Tsunoda partnered with rookie Isack Hadjar at AlphaTauri, marking Tsunoda’s fifth teammate in as many seasons. This decision has left many F1 enthusiasts frustrated, with many expressing their belief that Tsunoda, given his experience and connection with Honda, deserved the opportunity to move up. In fact, Horner himself recently admitted that Tsunoda might need to explore other options if he hopes to join a race-winning team.
One of the key factors behind the speculation was Red Bull’s partnership with Honda, which had many believing Tsunoda’s time with the team would lead to a promotion. However, with Honda set to supply Aston Martin with power units starting in 2026, rumors have begun circulating that Tsunoda could join the Silverstone-based team, especially following the recent hiring of Red Bull’s former chief engineer, Adrian Newey.
The situation took another turn when Honda made an unusual social media post following Perez’s departure and Lawson’s promotion. On Honda Racing’s official Instagram page, a photo was shared thanking Perez for his time with the team, featuring Perez, Max Verstappen, and Honda president Koji Watanabe embracing next to the RB20. However, the image had been cropped to exclude Christian Horner, who was visible in the same photo on Honda’s official website.
F1 fans quickly took note of the omission, with many commenting on the curious editing choice. One fan wrote: “Thank you for your words towards @schecoperez, and for removing Horner from the photo ,” while another jokingly remarked on the impressive Photoshop skills involved, saying, “Crop game on point .” The post has only added fuel to the ongoing controversy surrounding Red Bull’s recent driver decisions and their relationship with Honda.
