Speaking prior to Horner's exit, ex-F1 driver and Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher declared that Red Bull had likely given up attempting to stop the move to Mercedes for their star driver. "At Red Bull, it's now reached the top that the World Championship issue for Verstappen is over," he said.

By sacking Christian Horner, Red Bull has made a big change to try to return to F1 winning ways. But there are other steps it must take, too

As the dust settles on Christian Horner's shock departure from Red Bull, this is how the team’s prospects look for the remainder of the 2025 F1 season