Bernie Ecclestone turns on Christian Horner with brutal 'idiot' dig at axed Red Bull chief

Bernie Ecclestone has branded Christian Horner an "idiot" after he was sacked as Red Bull's chief executive and team principal on Wednesday. Horner spent 20 years in charge of the team, but was axed amid a disappointing season.

Red Bull currently sit fourth in the constructor's standings, while Max Verstappen is 69 points behind leader Oscar Piastri in the driver's standings. Horner's position has been under scrutiny since he was accused of 'inappropriate behaviour' by a female colleague.

Horner denied the claim and was cleared of misconduct after Red Bull appointed an independent barrister to investigate. An appeal against the findings was also dismissed earlier this year.

And former F1 supremo Ecclestone, who is close friends with Horner, has now weighed in on his sacking. "This other business that he got involved with 18 months ago, he was just an idiot," Ecclestone told the Telegraph.

"He was a 50-year-old who thought he was 20, thought he was one of the boys. It would probably have been better if they had said, 'Come in, Christian, sit down.'

READ MORE: Max Verstappen considering quitting Red Bull 'more than ever' after Christian Horner exit

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"But the bottom line is that there are people there who thought he was getting away with things, that he was acting as if it was not the Red Bull Ring, but the Christian Horner Ring. He got away with so many things.

"And all the time you're delivering, people close their eyes. But when you stop delivering, people start looking. One or two begin thinking, 'Well, I could do a better job.'"

When asked about Horner's legacy within the sport, Ecclestone added: "For Christ's sake, who else has done what he has in Formula One? Just for results? You get very few executives who can do everything, from engineering to public relations.

"He had been running the company the way he thought it should be run. For a long time, people were prepared to say, 'OK, fair enough, he's getting the job done.' But as soon as you go off a little bit, people look and say, 'Hang on.'

"Christian won a lot of championships. He was used to winning. So, it's not easy when you're not winning – and when you know that it's not entirely your fault."

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