Nico Rosberg, the former Mercedes driver and Sky F1 pundit, believes Christian Horner’s sacking by Red Bull was “a long time in the making.” And the 2016 World Champion says it feels “completely unreal” to think that Horner is no longer in charge of the team he built into a winning machine.

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.