Christian Horner, 51, loses huge salary after being sacked by Red Bull

Horner had been the longest-serving F1 team principal prior to his departure, having originally taken charge of the side following its inception in 2005.

The team enjoyed great success under his stewardship, winning eight drivers' championships and six constructors' championships during his 20-year stint at the helm.

Back in November, The Times revealed that Horner had a huge salary of £8.92million after he'd received a huge 11 per cent pay rise from 2022.

That made him the sport's highest-paid team principal ahead of the likes of Toto Wolff, Fred Vasseur and Andrea Stella.

Horner was, last year, the subject of a scandal when a female employee complained of inappropriate behaviour from the 51-year-old.

She was suspended and placed on full pay, with Horner always denying any wrongdoing.

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He was twice cleared internally, while he was also supported by wife Geri Halliwell during that challenging period.

Now, however, it'll be intriguing to see what the future holds for the Briton.

Martin Brundle, speaking on Sky Sports, has admitted he finds it 'quite sad' that Horner had lost his job after such a glittering stint.

“Completely out of the blue, given things going on and problems in the team. I’m quite sad about it if I’m honest, I consider Christian a friend.

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“He took it from what was the Stewart team through Jaguar to a lot of success and a huge trophy cabinet," he said.

"But it’s not been difficult to feel in the F1 paddock and to observe and hear that things were not particularly rosy.”

Brundle also claimed that Horner had been given 'no reason' for his dismissal, too.

“I think that’s part of it, I believe it’s probably performance related as well," he added when asked about a potential power struggle behind the scenes.

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"I think it perhaps make it more likely that the Verstappens will stay there, that became quite personal.

“There are a number of aspects. But the car is struggling, but they’ve won races brilliantly this year.

“I’m due to speak to Christian later in the day, I said can I have a chat? And he wasn’t able to do that.

"No reason was given to him as to why he’s been released. That’s the only hard info on that.”

Mekies, meanwhile, is raring to get going in his new job.

"It has been an amazing adventure to contribute to the birth of Racing Bulls together with all our talented people," he said.

"The spirit of the whole team is incredible, and I strongly believe that this is just the beginning."