The most shocking story of the 2025 F1 season has just broken as Red Bull reveal Christian Horner will immediately leave the team after 20 years in the role, so how have motorsport experts and fans reacted to the news of the sacking?
After guiding Milton Keynes to eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ championships and breaking the spell of Mercedes dominance over the sport, it’s time for a changing of the guard at the helm of the Austrian team as the 51-year-old is let go.
The decision culminates a challenging 18 months since the start of 2024 marred by off-track scandals and a stunning slump in performance from the Chinese Grand Prix that year, which has seen Red Bull go from leading the standings to fourth and out-of-contention.
Now 288 points behind McLaren through 12 rounds, Verstappen is 69 points behind Oscar Piastri and seems set to relinquish the driver’s championship for the first time in his successful career.
And with key figures such as Adrian Newey and their sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, departing, it seems as though the catastrophic loss of contending potential was the last straw for the financers above the British team principal’s head.
So how find out how the F1 community has reacted to the news as fans and experts head online to react to the sacking of Horner at Red Bull on Wednesday, July 9.
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Experts and fans react to the Horner sacking at Red Bull
Will Buxton, a journalist who starred in Drive to Survive and now leads coverage of the IndyCar Series, wrote, “Seismic news in F1 land to wake up to. Horner gone. The right decision at the right time and for the right reasons?
“Time will tell. Makes you wonder if those Max to Merc rumours will suddenly disappear though doesn’t it.”
Whilst Matt Gallagher, a popular presenter, said, “Holy s**tttt news just dropping that Christian Horner has been sacked!!!” He added: “Ferrari please keep Fred [Vasseur] I beg.”
And Tommy Bellingham, who works alongside Gallagher, wrote, “It’s time,” with quote tweet of Max Verstappen in 2016 jokingly suggesting he should answer a phone call from Mercedes’ Toto Wolff. Verstappen has been linked with the Silver Arrows again since 2024.
Martin Brundle, who raced in F1 from 1984-96 and now works for Sky Sports F1, said, “It is not completely out of the blue, given the problems in the team. I’m quite sad about it. I consider Christian a friend and he’s done an incredible job for 20 years.”
However, fans took a far dimmer view of his departure and lacked sympathy with the Red Bull boss as he finds himself heading towards unemployment for the first time in decades.
One of the traditional “villains” of the paddock, Horner was known for his staunch defence of his team and drivers and was willing to go to any lengths to find an advantage for his team. As a result, he became a polarising figure for fans of the sport.
One fan warmly wrote, “Good luck Christian Horner rest of your career.”
Whilst a second said, “I don’t understand why is whole world celebrating. He was a tough guy who fought had battles and emerged victorious on many occasions.
And a third commented, “All things being equal we have to give credit to him for being one of the most successful team principals of all time as he took Red Bull from nothing to attaining 8 world championships- 4 Vettel and 4 Verstappen.”
However, one other fan captured the other half of the mood by writing, “What he did behind his wife’s back was disgraceful,” referring to his misconduct scandal, although he denies accusations against him.
A second said, “From dominating the sport just two years ago to this. Well done Horner for this downfall.”
And a third commented, “It’s a bit late, the damage to the Red Bull team has already been done. If they lose Max they will become a midfield team, I mean look at Max’s current and last team mate, absolutely nowhere.”
