Max Verstappen now faces Red Bull fate he may not like as the ‘final nail’ that saw Christian Horner sacked

Follow us on Google Discover

Max Verstappen will head to the Belgian Grand Prix for the next round of the 2025 F1 season with a new team principal at Red Bull after the team sacked Christian Horner.

News emerged on Wednesday that Red Bull have sacked Horner from his role as their team principal and F1 CEO, with Racing Bulls chief Laurent Mekies moving to Milton Keynes in his place. Red Bull sacked Horner without telling him why this Tuesday after 20 years in charge.

Verstappen was only just starting his karting career when Horner took charge of Red Bull in 2005 as F1’s youngest-ever team principal. Their paths then crossed in 2014 as Verstappen joined the Red Bull Junior Team, before he later joined the main Red Bull F1 squad in 2016.

Promoting Verstappen from Toro Rosso, as their sister team now known as Racing Bulls was called then, proved a masterstroke by Horner, as he won the 2016 Spanish GP on his debut for Red Bull. Verstappen has even won the F1 drivers’ championship four times since 2021.

Max Verstappen gains more power, whether he likes it or not, after Red Bull sacked Christian Horner

But Verstappen put the ‘final nail’ in Horner’s coffin with the 27-year-old’s refusal to commit to driving for Red Bull in the 2026 F1 season. While the Dutchman is under contract through 2028, his terms include release clauses which have tempted Mercedes to target Verstappen.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

So, according to Bild, Red Bull sacked Horner in part due to his inability to get Verstappen to commit to the team for next season. Now, the Hasselt, Belgium-born driver faces a fate that he may not like as the most powerful person within the Red Bull F1 team after Horner’s exit.

Verstappen already held more power at Red Bull than any other driver has within their team thanks to spearheading their efforts for multiple terms in cars that only suit his driving style. Now, as Mekies will need time to settle in at Red Bull, Verstappen will secure greater power.

Red Bull would be in an even bigger mess were it not for Max Verstappen carrying the team

Without Verstappen, Red Bull would have likely sacked Horner much sooner as the 65-time Grand Prix winner has carried the Milton Keynes team for years. Since Daniel Ricciardo left after the 2018 season, no one has been able to get close to Verstappen with the same cars.

READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

Their plight has become especially worrisome this year, with Verstappen scoring 165 of the 172 points that put Red Bull fourth in the F1 constructors’ championship. Liam Lawson did not earn a point during his two rounds, while Yuki Tsunoda has only scored seven in his 10.

Tsunoda has also failed to score a single point through each of the last five rounds, with his most recent point due to a P10 finish in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. So, as Verstappen’s entertaining interest from Mercedes, Red Bull sacked Horner out of fear he may want to go.

Yet Verstappen’s manager is clear that Red Bull sacking Horner will not stop him considering his future as the Dutchman wants more from their car. He now trails McLaren driver Oscar Piastri in the 2025 title race by 69 points and is only 18 ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.