Craig Slater shares Jos Verstappen’s surprising reaction to Christian Horner’s Red Bull sacking

Follow us on Google Discover

This weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix marks the first meeting of the F1 grid since Christian Horner’s sacking from Red Bull in early July.

Much has been said about Christian Horner‘s sacking during the weeks between his sacking and the Belgian Grand Prix. The dismissal has posed the question of where the 51-year-old will find himself if he wants to return to the F1 grid in the future.

Pierre Gasly has had his say on the Horner to Alpine rumours, stating that he is ‘sure’ he will see Horner back in the F1 paddock without offering a clue as to where we will see him.

Jos Verstappen has been an extremely vocal member in the Red Bull garage since Max Verstappen‘s promotion to the team in 2016. He has been openly critical of the management of the team, stating, before the team principal’s exit, that keeping Horner could make the team ‘fall apart’.

Jos Verstappen took Christian Horner’s sacking ‘soberly’ according to Craig Slater

Speaking on Ted Kravitz’s Belgian Grand Prix Podbook, Craig Slater shared what he has heard regarding Verstappen Sr’s reaction to Red Bull sacking Horner.

“What I have heard about Jos Verstappen is, and I think this is absolutely right, is that he has not been dancing on Christian Horner’s demise,” Slater said.

“He’s taking it fairly soberly, and respects what Horner did. There were clearly differences between them. Was it a factor in Horner ultimately moving on? Probably, but there are a number of other ones in there.”

The reaction comes as a bit of a surprise when taking into account Horner’s and Verstappen Sr’s history of having a tense relationship. It has been reported that members ‘within’ the Red Bull team suspect Jos is behind the multitude of stories which have since circulated linking Max with a move to Mercedes.

Why did Red Bull sack Christian Horner?

The absolute reason for Red Bull’s immediate dismissal of their long-standing team principal is yet to be revealed.

The team’s poor performance in the first half of the 2025 season is sure to have played a part in the sacking, but it seems that there is more to the story than that.

Horner was also instrumental in overseeing the development of Red Bull Powertrains’ engine for the new regulations, which come into effect for the 2026 season.

The engine’s initial testing showed poor performance, and Horner was reluctant to delegate responsibilities in the department to someone with more technical knowledge in the area.

The power struggle behind the scenes at Red Bull led to Horner’s demise. Observers have claimed that Horner started making decisions at Red Bull that were in his own self-interest, rather than the team’s.

The final nail in the coffin for Horner was losing the support of a ‘key ally’ in Chalerm Yoovidhya, who had seen enough following Red Bull’s lacklustre performance at the British Grand Prix in July.