The Belgian Grand Prix was the first race in Red Bull’s history without Christian Horner as team principal.
His exit was confirmed just after the British GP, catching the entire F1 community off guard. Even Horner didn’t see it coming. His two decades in charge brought eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships to Red Bull.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen shares early thoughts on working with Laurent Mekies as 2026 Red Bull plans confirmed
Red Bull’s struggles this season might explain his sudden departure, with the team now sitting fourth in the standings. Verstappen has been vocal about needing changes, feeling that he is no longer in contention against McLaren.
There were even rumours that Verstappen wanted Horner’s influence reduced or removed entirely. Reports suggested he had a standoff with Oliver Mintzlaff over the issue.
But Verstappen’s camp have denied any involvement in Horner’s departure, saying he never called for him to be sacked or pushed for him to leave. The four-time champion has faced plenty of questions about it recently, especially with Mercedes showing interest in signing him.
Christian Horner has received ‘supportive messages’ from Max Verstappen since Red Bull exit
Verstappen posted a heartfelt message on social media following Horner’s departure. The 51-year-old had been the one to bring Verstappen into the team back in 2016, a move that quickly paid off with a win at Barcelona in his debut race.
But that wasn’t the only message. According to journalist Nate Saunders, Verstappen has sent multiple supportive notes to Horner since his sacking.
“The question to Max was twofold on Thursday, was A, how much did you know about Christian leaving? Have you spoken to him?” said Saunders via ESPN’s Unlapped podcast.
“But then B, does it change your mind going forward? And he said, and I think Lawrence and I both made this point before, a fast car is more likely to keep Max Verstappen longer term than who’s in charge.
“And what I understand, this is what’s quite interesting about it is, it does sound like Christian has had quite a lot of messages from Max since he got fired, supportive messages.
“I think that a lot of people hear that Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner didn’t get on and somehow equate that maybe means that Max didn’t get on. I think Max and him actually had a very good relationship. He referred to Christian Horner as second family.”
Verstappen stays with Red Bull for 2026, but now the pressure is on them to deliver
With Laurent Mekies stepping in as team principal, Verstappen appears to have made up his mind to stay with Red Bull for the 2026 season. There had been talk that he might use an exit clause in his contract to join Mercedes, but that seems off the table now.
Mekies made a ‘declaration of love’ for Verstappen at Spa, which looks to have convinced him to stay at Red Bull. But now the team must provide him with a competitive car heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, where they will become a works team.
Red Bull have ‘legitimate concerns’ about their 2026 engine and whether they will challenge the likes of Mercedes, who are tipped to have the quickest next year. But according to paddock chatter, Red Bull’s strength lies more with their internal combustion engine than their battery setup – and with power output split evenly between the two components under new rules, it’s hard to predict how things will shake out.
This proves Verstappen was right about Mercedes’ engine, as he had stressed that the batteries make every team an unknown for 2026. George Russell says Verstappen’s made a wise decision staying at Red Bull, as he can properly assess the pecking order ahead of a potential move in 2027.
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