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By Saajan Jogia
Sports Contributing Writer
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Christian Horner's bombshell Red Bull exit announcement sent a shockwave through the world of Formula One. However, many fans have expressed concern that this could be a sign of another high-profile departure: Max Verstappen.
Horner served Red Bull for 20 years, becoming the longest-serving team principal in F1. He was also deeply involved in the development of Red Bull's 2026 power units at Red Bull Powertrains. Now, his exit has raised several questions.
Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies has been promoted to take Horner's place as CEO of Red Bull Racing, given his excellent track record with Red Bull's junior F1 team. However, rumors suggest that Horner's exit occurred because Verstappen has revealed his intent to leave Red Bull.
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The four-time world champion elevated the Milton Keynes-based team to great heights in the current ground effect era that began in 2022, contributing greatly to the team's last two Constructors' Championships while securing four drivers' titles of his own.
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The 2024 season saw the Dutch driver secure his fourth championship title, despite balance problems on the RB20 F1 car. Given his then-teammate Sergio Perez's struggles to adapt to the car, Verstappen single-handedly scored points for the team and secured his fourth title.
With the 2025 season painting a grimmer picture for Red Bull, and considering McLaren's dominance in the field, Verstappen could be tempted by offers from Mercedes. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff openly expressed interest in signing Verstappen, even going to the extent of allegedly putting Russell's contract extension negotiations on hold. While Verstappen dismissed a potential move, fans say that his departure will follow Horner's.
Some reactions to the post by F1 are stated below:
This fan is confident:
"So this confirms Max's departure."
Signed already? A bold claim by this fan:
"I think you're all missing the point here. He is sacked because they have obviously ALREADY lost Max to Mercedes."
A fan prediction:
"It's a bit late, the damage to the Red Bull team has already been done.
"If they lose Max they will become a midfield team, I mean look at Max's current and last team mate, absolutely nowhere."
This fan pointed out a Red Bull trait:
"20 years of service and you get sacked mid-season. Such a Red Bull thing to do."
This fan's got two points:
"Attempt to keep Max happy by showing intent, or sacking him because Max is leaving and they need to completely restructure? 👀"
Another Max Verstappen angle:
"As expected. I thought about this from last season when they tried so much to show his family angle.
"Does this mean Max is really leaving?"
A rare comment about Yuki Tsunoda. Could Red Bull now make its car more drivable?
"Actually Yuki is prob super safe rn since Laurent was on the Racing Bulls Squad , he prob has seen first hand how valuable Yuki is .. he just needs to asses the new situation with how bad the car is for anyone not named Max"
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