Max Verstappen's close friend drops 2-word reaction to Red Bull firing Christian Horner

Red Bull Racing CEO and Team Principal Christian Horner was released by the Milton Keynes outfit on July 9, 2025, with immediate effect. Red Bull’s sister team, VCARB’s Team Principal Laurent Mekies, was announced as Horner's replacement. Max Verstappen's close friend Luke Crane reacted to the news.

Horner had been with Red Bull since the inception of the team when Jaguar Racing was bought by the energy drinks company and rebranded in 2005. Horner, Adrian Newey, and Helmut Marko were the key pillars of the team and had a huge hand in its success.

Horner’s exit comes at a time when Red Bull has been falling back of the performance ladder and Max Verstappen is reportedly in talks with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff over a possible switch to the Brackley-based team for the 2026 regulations.

The reason for Christian Horner's sacking hasn't been revealed, and the former Red Bull Team Principal hasn't released a public statement or spoken about the it. Max Verstappen's friend Luke Crane, who is the stream manager for Team Redline and often plays games with the Dutchman on the streams, reacted to Horner's sacking.

Crane quoted a Sky Sports news video on X, which detailed that Horner was sacked and that Mekies will replace him:

“Holy s**t”

In 2024, Christian Horner was accused of sexually harassing a Red Bull employee. It was investigated by the team, and the Team Principal was not found guilty. This was followed by power thirst at Red Bull between Helmut Marko and Horner in 2024, and Adrian Newey not being content at the team, and eventually leaving.

The Milton Keynes-based team hasn't been a stable outlet for the last couple of years, with the above-mentioned issues along with the consistent second driver changes and the performance slump.

Martin Brundle believes Christian Horner’s sacking is “performance-related.”

F1 reporter and pundit Martin Brundle considers Christian Horner a good friend. The duo also has an infamous banter video from the 2014 Singapore GP, where Horner tried to remind Brundle of his age, and the pundit reminded Horner that the TP wasn't fast enough to make it to F1.

AUTO: JUL 06 F1 British Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Nonetheless, as Horner was sacked, Martin Brundle came out and said:

“I believe it’s probably performance related as well,. I think it perhaps makes it more likely that the Verstappens (Max and Jos) will stay there, that became quite personal.”

Brundle also suggested that Horner wasn't given a reason for his release by the Milton Keynes outfit.