'Shock and horror' - F1 legend stunned by Horner sacking

Red Bull

'Shock and horror' - F1 legend stunned by Horner sacking

Christian Horner was recently dismissed as Red Bull team principal

Kevin McKenna

Tuesday 15 July 2025 18:58

An F1 legend has admitted he was left in 'shock and horror' having discovered the news that Christian Horner had been sacked as Red Bull team principal.

Horner had spent two decades at the Milton Keynes-based outfit, and played a pivotal role in their rise to becoming one of the grid's most successful teams, winning 14 world titles during that time.

His departure sent shockwaves through the sport and beyond, with many of his peers and former team-mates taking to social media to pay tribute.

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And now, 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell has given his reaction to F1's biggest story of the year.

"I think just like the racing fans, I didn’t know what Red Bull were doing, so yeah it came as quite a shock and surprise," he told Aceodds.

"I was with Red Bull and I spoke to Christian last weekend and there was no inference, no problems or anything. A bit of shock and a bit of horror really."

Nigel Mansell believes Red Bull and Max Verstappen will have tricky adjustment period

Mansell expects Red Bull 'struggle'

Laurent Mekies was announced as Horner's replacement having been promoted from sister team Racing Bulls, but Mansell believes the team must be prepared to go through a tricky adjustment period.

"To do this mid-season, whatever the reasons are, it’s not helpful for the team," he explained. "The team will miss him, there will be a transitional period.

"It will be a struggle for Red Bull to be as competitive as they would’ve wanted to be for 2025 now."

Horner's exit came following another frustrating weekend for the team at the British Grand Prix earlier this month.

Their hopes of competing for the 2025 constructors' championship were already over before arriving at Silverstone, while defending drivers' champion Max Verstappen lost more ground to McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

And the Dutchman could be set to follow Horner out the door, with Mercedes a potential option should he decide to move on.

Horner's future is also undetermined at this stage, but his name has already been linked with a number of high-profile positions, most notably at Ferrari and Alpine.

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