Horner was axed by Red Bull in a bombshell announcement two weeks ago as Red Bull GmbH higher-ups called time on his 20-year tenure with the Formula 1 team. Reportedly summoned to a meeting in London in the days after the British Grand Prix, Horner was informed that he had been released from his operational duties with immediate effect.

Heading into the Belgian GP, Red Bull is 288 points behind Constructors' Championship leader McLaren, and Verstappen's dreams of scoring a fifth successive Drivers' Championship crown are hanging by a thread. With a critical regulation change incoming for the 2026 season, Red Bull's status as an F1 powerhouse is under significant threat.