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Red Bull Racing development driver, Jake Dennis, revealed that he thought Christian Horner's sacking from the team was "a joke" initially. He claimed to have received the news from a friend before confirming it.
Red Bull shook up the F1 world earlier this week after announcing Horner's departure from the team after 20 years of service. He had served as the CEO and team principal since the team's inception in 2005. Under him, they won eight drivers' and six constructors' championships; however, recent developments and performance were reported as one of the reasons for his departure.
Formula E World Champion and RBR development driver Jake Dennis recently revealed that the news came to him as a surprise. Speaking to RacingNews365, he mentioned that he thought it was 'a joke' since his friend informed him via WhatsApp.
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"It was a definite surprise. I didn't find out until my mate sent it to me on WhatsApp. I thought it was a joke. I went online and saw it was all over there [the internet], so yeah, a surprise," Dennis said.
He further revealed his busy schedule with BMW and Andretti had kept him somewhat apart from Red Bull, and hence, he was late to learn about the sacking.
"I've been so busy with BMW and Andretti this year that I haven't done any sim work since October, so I've been really out of the loop with Red Bull this year, so I was always going to be surprised, even if everyone else knew."
Red Bull had been experiencing a decline in performance since the second half of the 2024 season. They missed out on the Constructors' championship and are seemingly out of contention for both titles this season. Moreover, questionable driver choices were some of the reported reasons for Horner's sacking from the team.
Red Bull advisor aims to fight for championship this season despite Christian Horner's absence
As mentioned, Red Bull Racing is seemingly out of the championship race this season. Although there is a huge mathematical possibility that Max Verstappen could still clinch the Drivers' Championship, the team's performance against McLaren says something else.
However, the team doesn't seem to have given up. Helmut Marko, reacting to Christian Horner's departure from the team, stated that they would still try to clinch the title. He also mentioned the achievements he celebrated with Horner in the team.
"Christian Horner and I have worked together very successfully for over 20 years – both in Formula 1 and in Formula 3000. I would like to sincerely thank Christian for that. During this time, we were able to celebrate an incredible number of outstanding achievements. We helped develop two World Drivers’ Champions and several Grand Prix winners. That has always been – and still is – the Red Bull way," Marko said in a team statement.
"As for the current sporting situation: there are still twelve races to go, and we will continue to fight for the Drivers’ Championship as long as it’s mathematically possible," he added.
Laurent Mekies, who served as a team principal at VCARB prior to this, took Christian Horner's role at Red Bull Racing.
