Christian Horner exit signals new low for Max Verstappen and Red Bull

I hope Liam Lawson enjoyed a small cackle in his cockpit when he finished ahead of Max Verstappen at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Red Bull have now got to face the facts; Budapest was a new low for the team. During a weekend where Verstappen confirmed his future, his prospects in the title have never looked more bleak.

It wasn’t just Verstappen’s P9 finishing position that was the problem, rather the pace was absent from the RB21 all weekend with the champion not even in the running for pole position on Saturday.

If Verstappen’s championship chances were not clearly over at Spa, the Hungarian GP solidified his diminished hopes further where he picked up two points.

His team-mate Yuki Tsunoda did not fare much better either, finishing a woeful P18 with each Red Bull driver finishing below a Racing Bulls star in Hungary.

Red Bull’s dip in form has been evident all season, indeed it even prompted the team to sack former team principal Christian Horner.

However, this hasn’t materialised into the easy fix everybody hoped it would be. Instead, Horner has been further validated by Red Bull’s disaster-class in Hungary, as the team continue to decline further.

Should Red Bull have kept Christian Horner?

Nobody expected that Horner's exit would not be an instant remedy to Red Bull’s performance woes, but also nobody expected the wheels to come off as quick as they did in Hungary.

When Verstappen's belief is so low in the team that he does not think he will win another race this season, Red Bull should be alarmed.

Regardless of the reasons for their drop off in performance, Red Bull’s current pace is unacceptable and Hungary must feel like a low point in Verstappen's career, one Horner would never have envisioned for his team.

Horner’s exit was also a symbolic axing, cutting out the old performance related issues to make way for the new improved team, but it may not have been the best thought out decision. In fact, it feels without him the team are only going to suffer further.

Red Bull have hit their lowest point as he has stepped away from the paddock, and there will be some serious debriefs going on at their team HQ over the summer break.

For Horner however, I am sure he will allow himself a smug smile at how events have transpired in Hungary this weekend.

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