Christian Horner Red Bull axe left F1 legend 'shocked'

F1 legend and champion Nigel Mansell has revealed his 'shock and horror' at Christian Horner's axe from Red Bull.

The 51-year-old served the team for 20 years and was responsible for their rise to the top of F1, winning eight drivers' titles and six constructors' championships.

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

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.”

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Will Red Bull struggle without Horner?

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 follows 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 in the drivers' standings.

The Dutchman could also follow Horner out of the door, with Mercedes a potential option should he decide to move on.

Horner's future is also undetermined at this stage and he will serve a period of gardening leave until January 2026,. However, his name has already been linked with a number of high-profile positions, most notably at Ferrari and Alpine.

READ MORE: Red Bull announce Christian Horner FIRED in shock F1 departure

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