While the reason for Horner's ousting has not been revealed, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has pointed out that performance concerns led to his exit, and that the decision was taken by the managing director of Red Bull GmbH, Oliver Mintzlaff. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:

Christian Horner has swapped Formula 1 speed for four-legged horsepower in a cheeky new Instagram post, days after his shock exit as Red Bull Racing team

Christian Horner was sacked as team principal of Red Bull Racing in July, ending his 20-year spell in charge. No clear explanation has been provided by Red Bull so far, and the announcement of Laurent Mekies as his replacement followed just minutes after the news broke.