While the sudden announcement that Christian Horner had been released by Red Bull shocked many, Johnny Herbert insists it was “not a surprise”.
And Herbert believes another Red Bull veteran will be on his way to the exit door, predicting four-time World Champion Max Verstappen will sign with Mercedes.
Red Bull to lose Christian Horner and Max Verstappen?
After more than 20 years in charge, Horner’s time leading Red Bull Racing was called to an end on the Wednesday following the British Grand Prix, after challenging race weekends for the team at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone.
No explanation has yet been provided by Red Bull for the decision which came out of the blue, though Herbert has his theories for what has happened.
It has been a difficult 18 months for Horner, who was twice cleared by Red Bull after allegations of inappropriate behaviour from a fellow employee, while the on-track performance has deteriorated, Red Bull going from dominant to P4 in the current F1 2025 Constructors’ standings, with key figures such as Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall and Jonathan Wheatley having left.
“Well, I think it’s not a surprise, I don’t think anybody should be surprised,” Herbert said of Horner’s exit when speaking to RacingNews365.
“It was something that when it first kicked off, I remember the Ford motor company weren’t exactly very happy with the rumours that were going about at that present time. He’s hung on for a good period of time, but I think it was something that was never going to go away.
“And when it doesn’t go away, it’s never a good thing to have that sort of thing hanging around your neck.”
Herbert also pondered whether the Verstappens may have been involved somewhere in Horner’s dismissal. While Max’s relationship with Horner appeared stable, the same was certainly not true for his father Jos Verstappen, who verbally clashed with Horner on multiple occasions as the allegations emerged and results weakened.
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“But there’s also, is it anything to do with Max?” Herbert continued. “Because, obviously, Jos was very vocal, and not wanting Christian about. Potentially, I suppose it could be that.”
Therefore, Herbert believes the situation is pointing towards Max leaving for Mercedes.
Rumours of such a move gathered fresh momentum when George Russell – currently without a contract for F1 2026 – said “ongoing” talks between Verstappen and Mercedes were influencing his path to a new deal.
For Verstappen to escape his Red Bull contract – which runs until the end of 2028 – it is believed that an exit clause could only be triggered if he is outside the top four in the Drivers’ Championship following the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Considering those believed requirements, the British Grand Prix – while disappointing for Red Bull – brought with it a major step towards making that exit clause a non-factor.
Verstappen recovered to P5 after a spin, while Yuki Tsunoda failed to score for the fifth race in a row, but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who currently sits P5 in the Drivers’ standings, had a nightmare race and crossed the line P14.
It means the gap between Verstappen and Leclerc is 46 points with a maximum of 58 up for grabs before that window to activate the clause.
“It sounds very much so, that the Mercedes thing is where he’s probably going to end up,” Herbert predicts on Max. “So, it’s probably not a surprise everything with Christian anyway.”
Following Horner’s dismissal, Red Bull quickly named Laurent Mekies as his successor, Mekies moving up from junior team Racing Bulls – where he had been team principal since 2024 – to become the new Red Bull Racing CEO.
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