Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos has opened up on why he thinks former Red Bull boss Christian Horner was dropped from his role of team principal with immediate effect.
Last week, Red Bull shocked the F1 community as they sacked their team principal and CEO, Horner, after 20 years at the helm of the team.
Horner had managed Red Bull Racing since their inception in 2005, and many at the factory will not have envisaged a time without the Briton leading the team.
In that time he led the team to six constructors championships, and eight drivers titles, with 124 race wins.
Robert Doornbos raced for Red Bull in the 2000's
Getty
While the reasoning behind the sacking has not been given, Doornbos believes there are multiple reasons behind it. He told Ziggo Sport: "A lot has happened in the past 18 months. You have the incident with the transgressive behaviour.
“In addition, wrong driver choices have been made. In June 2024, they extended Sergio Pérez, and in December, they fired him and gave him another two years’ salary. They called up Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson. They both failed. Yuki Tsunoda doesn’t make anything of it either.
“All in all, that has been a death blow for Horner.”
JUST IN: Former Man United star decides to sue old club for 'clinical negligence' over 'medical advice'
Horner has had his fair share of time in the media; his sacking comes over a year after a female staff member accused him of “inappropriate behaviour”. He denied the allegations, and the appeal was also rejected.
Jos Verstappen publicly argued for Horner’s removal during the situation, and tension has been high ever since.
Jos Verstappen publicly called for Christian Horner's removal during the scandal last year
GettyDoornbos has also claimed we are seeing the end of Max Verstappen at Red Bull as well.
“The next one will be Max Verstappen himself. I’ve been saying that for years. No one is bigger than the team, but if five key figures from the successful period leave, you don’t just replace them," he continued.
“These are not the least names that have left. This is a whole Formula 1 team, which has crumbled.”
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Despite the issues in the team, Doornbos has ruled out an exit for Formula 1 for the team.
“They will definitely stay in the sport,” he said.
“They know how to maximise the marketing activities like no other. Competing for the World title, with a new power unit from Red Bull Powertrains and Ford, is not something you do overnight."
Max Verstappen is reportedly open to joining MercedesPAThe team will not have long to adapt to their new hierarchy as the team will be back on track for the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.
The team currently sits fourth in the constructors' championship, with Verstappen sitting a distant third in the drivers' championship, a long way behind the leading McLarens.