Former Red Bull driver sends emotional response after Christian Horner's sacking

"The end of an era,” began Doornbos in his reaction on Instagram. “After a very successful career as the boss of Red Bull Racing and having won 8 Drivers and 6 Constructors Championships with the team in the past 20 years is impressive to say the least.

He continued: “Recent downfall of the team meant that the stakeholders of Red Bull in Austria have decided that it’s time for a change. Even though Christian still has a contract till 2030."

Doornbos worked with Horner early in his career. "I’ve worked with Christian Horner when he was my team boss at Arden Motorsports, and we had a very successful year back in 2004.

After driving for Minardi in 2005, Doornbos was a Red Bull driver in late 2006, remaining a test driver in 2007.

F1 fans from around the world have also reacted online to the announcement. Many have erupted with conspiracies after the breaking news. 

Since 2005, Horner has been at the helm of the team and was intimately involved in the development of Red Bull Racing and the world titles with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. In 2024, he came under pressure again due to internal tensions and disappointing results.