Unnamed Red Bull official reveals how staff reacted in the factory when Christian Horner announced his exit

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Christian Horner informed his Red Bull colleagues on Wednesday morning that he was leaving the team with immediate effect. He has been abruptly sacked at the halfway point of the F1 season.

Horner had been the longest-serving team principal on the grid. He was appointed to lead the team in 2005 before they made their F1 debut.

Toto Wolff, who now assumes top spot on that list, took over at Mercedes eight years later. It’s unclear if Horner, 51, will seek a position with another team.

His period in charge at Milton Keynes delivered eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships. Red Bull recently celebrated their 400th Grand Prix and boast an impressive win rate of 30.6%.

Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit speech prompted tears in the factory

A report from De Limburger reveals some details about Horner’s farewell. Staff gathered at 10am UK time in the factory, but they weren’t aware that the announcement was coming.

Horner delivered the ‘bombshell’ in his subsequent speech. One Red Bull official, ‘who asked not to be named’, described it as ‘very emotional’.

Some of his onlooking colleagues were apparently in tears, and there were ‘several minutes’ of applause afterwards. Horner was ‘incredibly loved’ by many within the team, but he lacked the necessary support among the Austrian and Thai shareholders.

Indeed, majority owner Chalerm Yoovidhya lost patience with Horner after attending the Austrian GP last month. The team failed to score in a disastrous home race.

Why Max Verstappen’s farewell message to Christian Horner will be extremely awkward

After Horner’s private address, there will be a series of public farewell messages from the figures involved. Max Verstappen’s press conference at the Belgian Grand Prix later this month will be busier than ever.

Reporters will be trying to tease out how big a role Verstappen played in the decision. The early indications are that he was instrumental.

Indeed, it’s said that Verstappen used interest from Mercedes as leverage to force Horner out. The team saw their 65-win driver as the more valuable asset.

Martin Brundle has spoken to the former team boss and learned that Red Bull didn’t give Horner a firm reason for the decision. But the team’s on-track trajectory has certainly been a concern.