Red Bull smash F1 season record at first race since Christian Horner sacking

Mekies replaces Horner at Red Bull — Photo: © IMAGO

Belgian Grand Prix

Red Bull smash F1 season record at first race since Christian Horner sacking

Horner was axed as Red Bull team principal earlier this month

Chris Deeley

Saturday 26 July 2025 19:15 Updated: 19:30

To paraphrase The Rembrandts, it hasn't been Red Bull's month, season or year.

Less than wings, the energy drink-owned team appear to have been fitted with lead weights which have dragged them further and further down the timing sheets since early in 2024.

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Times may be changing though, with Christian Horner departing earlier this month and the broader team immediately putting in their most cohesive performance of the season.

Saturday at the Belgian Grand Prix was the first time all year that Q3 consisted of both Red Bull cars and both Racing Bulls. That's right, just like a terribly designed dartboard, Q3 was 40% bull.

The closest they'd got before that, for those wondering? Monaco, when Tsunoda's Q2 exit (12th) ruined the fun.

Horner out, Red Bull good?

Max Verstappen was the unsurprising leader of the organisation, overcoming a costly mistake to recover and snatch fourth place behind Charles Leclerc and the McLarens just hours after his sprint race win.

After him came the Racing Bulls pair of Isack 'Sonic the Hadjhog' Hadjar and Liam Lawson in seventh and eighth respectively, just ahead of Yuki Tsunoda in ninth – a drop from his fifth on the timing sheets in Q2.

What can we deduce from this? Did Horner impact on-track performance by his sheer presence? Were Lawson and Hadjar starstruck working in the same organisation as a Spice Girl's husband? Did he have a little remote control in his pocket that gave Tsunoda's cooling suit a little zap when it looked like he was about to set a fast lap?

Probably not, no. More likely, this sort of result was bound to happen. It's not like any of the team's drivers have been strangers to Q3 this year, it's just that the consistency hasn't been there. But if you have any theories, we'd love to hear them in the comments.

F1 Qualifying Results: Belgian Grand Prix 2025

Position	Driver	Team	Time/Status
1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:40.562
2	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.085
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.338
4	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.341
5	Alex Albon	Williams	+0.639
6	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.698
7	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	+0.722
8	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	+0.748
9	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+0.766
10	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	+1.825
11	Esteban Ocon	Haas	Eliminated in Q2
12	Ollie Bearman	Haas	Eliminated in Q2
13	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	Eliminated in Q2
14	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	Eliminated in Q2
15	Carlos Sainz	Williams	Eliminated in Q2
16	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	Eliminated in Q1
17	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	Eliminated in Q1
18	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	Eliminated in Q1
19	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	Eliminated in Q1
20	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	Eliminated in Q1