Your views on Horner's Red Bull exit

New York Times

7 days ago

McLaren grabs another 1-2, after Spa-Francorchamps hosted round 13 of the 2025 Formula One world championship Getty Images
Oscar Piastri has won the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, despite a delayed start of 80 minutes due to rain at Spa-Francorchamps.
Lando Norris qualified on pole but the race began with a rolling start behind the safety car due to the wet conditions.
Then on the first visit to Les Combes once the safety car had come in, Piastri produced a brilliant move to grab a race lead he held to the checkered flag.
Norris was in hot pursuit in the final laps, hoping his hard tires would get him within striking distance. But the Brit made one too many mistakes, never getting close enough to challenge his McLaren teammate for victory.
As for further down the order, Lewis Hamilton made great progress to finish P7 after a disastrous qualifying saw him start in 18th.
You can follow all the live reaction below.
Result: 1 PIA, 2 NOR, 3 LEC, 4 VER, 5 RUS
Join the conversation: [e-mail]
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Belgian Grand Prix briefing: Piastri wins, Hamilton impresses after chaotic start Getty Images
Christian Horner's sacking was the biggest story by a distance, heading into this Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Here are some of your views on the news…
💬 Ben G: 'Scenes! Probably overdue if this is the fallout from the scandal. Otherwise, maybe feels a bit kneejerk if it's related to this year's performance.'
💬 Christian V: 'This either Max Verstappen's (and Jos') condition to remain in Red Bull, or a consequence of Max already leaving for Mercedes. Funny how this came out of nowhere and not after months of rumors and speculation like with the drivers.'
💬 Arin S: 'Horner has always been a divisive figure, even more so than Toto and Zack. He still clearly cared for his drivers. Something seemed off with RB since Newey left. A good amount of people clearly didn't want to be in such a political environment.'
💬 Annie M: 'Epic reign, epic fall. Not sure F1 is better off without him.'
💬 Crk J: 'With all sincerity, the very best of luck to Laurent Mekies. Hopefully he is given adequate opportunity and proper operational control. As long as Helmut Marko remains connected to the team, RBR will never truly have moved on from whatever ails them.'
💬 Dominic A: 'They should install Horner as Racing Bulls team principal and, if he does well, maybe he gets another chance at the big team.'
Remember, you can add your thoughts with an email whenever you wish. That address again: [e-mail] Getty Images
Christian Horner's sudden dismissal as team principal sent shockwaves through Red Bull Racing.
As the team navigates its first race weekend without the only boss it has ever known, our own Luke Smith examines how Horner's replacement — Laurent Mekies — is trying to unite the squad and keep Max Verstappen committed.
This is all eyes on Red Bull, and its first weekend in F1 without the man who had been its prominent leader…
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How Red Bull adjusts to F1 life after Christian Horner: 'It was a shock to me'
Christian Horner led Red Bull Racing from obscurity to F1 dominance over 20 years. He became the face of the team for fans of 'Drive To Survive.'
Then just three days after the British Grand Prix and to much surprise — following scandal, poor form and a lengthy power struggle at the top of the team — Horner was sacked.
This is the first F1 weekend featuring a Horner-less Red Bull since the team arrived in the sport.
Our F1 correspondent Luke Smith dissected what happened, and you can take it all in below.
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Why Red Bull sacked Christian Horner now, after a year that never stopped spiraling Luke Smith
UPDATE: It's raining now...
I'm down on the grid and happy to report no rain right now. But it's meant to heave it down in about 20-30 minutes.
The teams have got their wet weather tires ready on the grid as the cars head over to their starting spots. Sign up to The Athletic
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Heading into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, there was reason for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari to feel optimistic.
Hamilton has been building momentum after a rollercoaster start to life with Ferrari and there was a set of upgrades for Spa that Ferrari hoped would boost its performance, including a new rear suspension.
Charles Leclerc grabbed third on the grid for today's race, outqualifying sprint race winner Max Verstappen.
But Hamilton languished in a lowly 16th as his miserable Spa weekend continued, having already been eliminated in the first stage of sprint race qualifying. Hamilton told reporters:
💬 'Everyone does that, takes that curb. But I'm out, so… From my side, another mistake. So I've really got to look internal. I've got to apologize to my team, because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s.
'It's (a) very, very poor performance from myself.'
Hamilton is a five-time winner of the Belgian GP, including last year when he inherited victory after George Russell's disqualification.
You have to go back to his debut season in 2007 for the last time he finished the race but failed to stand on the podium, crossing the line in fourth place.
It's a track he loves and where he flourishes.
Barring something remarkable — and it looks like we're getting a wet race — this will go down as another dip in this fluctuating first season with Ferrari.
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How Lewis Hamilton's Belgium GP weekend unraveled despite Ferrari upgrades Getty Images
With those pit lane starts, here is how the starting grid will look at Spa… 1: LANDO NORRIS (MCL)
LANDO NORRIS (MCL) > 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL)
Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Charles Leclerc (FER)
Charles Leclerc (FER) > 4: Max Verstappen (RBR)
Max Verstappen (RBR) 5: Alex Albon (WIL)
Alex Albon (WIL) > 6: George Russell (MER)
George Russell (MER) 7: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR)
Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) > 8: Isack Hadjar (RB)
Isack Hadjar (RB) 9: Liam Lawson (RB)
Liam Lawson (RB) > 10: Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU)
Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 11: Ocon (HAS) / 12: Bearman (HAS)
13: Gasly (ALP) / 14: Hülkenberg (SAU)
15: Sainz (WIL) / 16: Colapinto (ALP)
17: Stroll (AST)
Then in the pit lane, they will line up in the order of Lewis Hamilton (FER), Kimi Antonelli (MER) and Fernando Alonso (AST). Getty Images
A reminder here that Lewis Hamilton will start today's Belgian Grand Prix from the pit lane, as reported by our F1 correspondent Luke Smith earlier today.
Ferrari opted to take a number of new power unit elements for Hamilton's car ahead of the race, after Hamilton qualified a lowly 16th yesterday. As Luke explained:
📝 'It's very normal for teams who have drivers at the rear of the field to opt for a pit lane start, as it also means they can make changes to the car setup outside of parc ferme.
'That could be especially useful today for Ferrari with Hamilton as in theory, it could bank on a very wet race where a higher downforce setup would pay off — rather than what he (and everyone else) ran in qualifying.'
Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso will also start from the pit lane, after their respective (P18 and P19) qualifying performances yesterday. Getty Images
And let's bring you this too. This is the 2025 season's pole position tallies and average qualifying positions (AQP) for the field.
It's now four poles each for the top three drivers, following Lando Norris' excellent qualifying yesterday… 1: OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) — 4 poles / 2.15 AQP
— / 2: Max Verstappen (RBR) — 4 poles / 3.15
3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 4 poles / 3.31
4: George Russell (MER) — 1 pole / 4.46
As for those without a pole so far in 2025… 5: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5.46
6: Lewis Hamilton (FER) — 7.69
7: Kimi Antonelli (MER) — 8.77
8: Alex Albon (WIL) — 9.77
9: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 9.92
10: Fernando Alonso (AST) — 11.38 Getty Images
Did any 2025 qualifying patterns snap at Spa yesterday? You bet they did…
Ferrari was one of only two teams to avoid a Q1 exit this season — but its record was ended with that Lewis Hamilton Q1 failure, leaving McLaren out on its own.
Likewise for Hamilton, who suffered a Q1 and SQ1 exit in consecutive days here. The joys of a sprint race weekend, right Lewis?
The good news for Alex Albon, George Russell and Isack Hadjar was that they remained clear of a Q1 exit this season.
And sadly for Nico Hülkenberg, he remains the only driver to tackle all 13 qualifying sessions this season and not make it into Q3 at least once. Getty Images
How did yesterday's Belgian Grand Prix qualifying shake up the intra-team battles over the course of this year?
The tallies are below — with the Spa victor underlined… Aston Martin: ALONSO 13-0 Stroll
13-0 Stroll Mercedes: RUSSELL 12-1 Antonelli
12-1 Antonelli Red Bull: VERSTAPPEN 11-0 Tsunoda
11-0 Tsunoda Ferrari: LECLERC 9-4 Hamilton
9-4 Hamilton Racing Bulls: HADJAR 9-2 Lawson
9-2 Lawson Williams: ALBON 8-5 Sainz
8-5 Sainz McLaren: PIASTRI 7-6 Norris
7-6 Haas: OCON 7-6 Bearman
7-6 Bearman Sauber: Hülkenberg 6-7 BORTOLETO
Hülkenberg 6-7 Alpine: GASLY 6-1 Colapinto
6-1 Colapinto Alpine: GASLY 5-1 Doohan *
* Red Bull: VERSTAPPEN 2-0 Lawson *
* Racing Bulls: Tsunoda 1-1 Hadjar *
It was hard not to smile at Fernando Alonso making it 13 out of 13 against Lance Stroll, even when the Aston Martin didn't finish ahead of another car in its double Q1 exit.
* Inactive teammate pairing Getty Images
Here is how the cars finished following yesterday's qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix today — although the grid will look a little different at the back… 1: LANDO NORRIS (MCL)
> 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL)
Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Charles Leclerc (FER)
Charles Leclerc (FER) > 4: Max Verstappen (RBR)
Max Verstappen (RBR) 5: Alex Albon (WIL)
Alex Albon (WIL) > 6: George Russell (MER)
George Russell (MER) 7: Yuki Tsunoda (RBR)
Yuki Tsunoda (RBR) > 8: Isack Hadjar (RB)
Isack Hadjar (RB) 9: Liam Lawson (RB)
Liam Lawson (RB) > 10: Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU)
Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU) 11: Ocon (HAS) / 12: Bearman (HAS)
13: Gasly (ALP) / 14: Hülkenberg (SAU)
15: Sainz (WIL) / 16: Hamilton (FER)
17: Colapinto (ALP) / 18: Antonelli (MER)
19: Alonso (AST) / 20: Stroll (AST)
The perception was that Lando Norris had been playing second fiddle to Oscar Piastri this weekend — but that theory was put to bed by the Brit in grand prix qualifying yesterday.
Norris looked on top of things in each session and then timed his final lap in Q3 to perfection, with a 1:40.562 that was enough to put his car on pole.
The gap to his McLaren teammate was under 0.1s, while Charles Leclerc's P3 was a surprise to everyone — including the driver and his Ferrari team.
Alex Albon (P5) and Yuki Tsunoda (P7 and finally in receipt of some Red Bull upgrades) also excelled.
But for Lewis Hamilton, the qualifying nightmare at Spa continued.
Just 24 hours after exiting sprint race quali at the first hurdle for a spin on his final run in SQ1, this time the Ferrari driver thought he'd nailed the lap time he needed to make Q2 — only to see it deleted for exceeding track limits.
It was a tight call, but there were no arguments. Hamilton and Ferrari had suffered their first Q1 exit of the entire season. Ouch.
Even without a sprint victory, McLaren still got to eke out a few more points towards its constructors' championship lead by finishing second and third.
In truth, it doesn't take much looking over the standings to convince you McLaren already has the constructors' championship sewn up. It is something I called ahead of the British Grand Prix — so make a note of that in case I've cast a curse on Woking.
The battle to finish fifth is definitely on over the second half of the season, especially when those teams will have to figure out a time to switch total development focus over to the significant regulation changes for 2026.
Max Verstappen's sprint win improved Red Bull's position compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, while Haas closed the gap to the teams ahead... 1: 473 points — McLAREN
— 2: 227 (-246 ) — Ferrari
3: 210 (-17) — Mercedes
4: 180 (-30) — Red Bull
5: 62 (-18) — Williams
6: 41 (-21) — Sauber
7: 37 (-4) — Racing Bulls
8: 36 (-1) — Aston Martin
9: 35 (-1) — Haas
10: 19 (-16) — Alpine
It is nine points between the top two following Oscar Piastri's second in Saturday's sprint race — a place ahead of Lando Norris and behind victor Max Verstappen.
You can see it's a tight championship battle, even if it is coming down to an intra-team fight.
It's finely poised behind the McLarens too, although George Russell lost ground after a pointless sprint.
Nico Hülkenberg sitting ninth is arguably the performance of the season so far, while Franco Colapinto's performance has been only marginally better than the driver he replaced at Alpine. They are the only two drivers this season not to score a point… 241 points — OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL)
— 232 (-9) — Lando Norris (MCL)
173 (-59) — Max Verstappen (RBR)
147 (-26) — George Russell (MER)
124 (-23) — Charles Leclerc (FER)
103 (-21) — Lewis Hamilton (FER)
63 (-40) — Kimi Antonelli (MER)
46 (-17) — Alex Albon (WIL)
37 (-9) — Nico Hülkenberg (SAU)
27 (-10) — Esteban Ocon (HAS)
22 (-5) — Isack Hadjar (RB)
20 (-2) — Lance Stroll (AST)
19 (-1) — Pierre Gasly (ALP)
16 (-3) — Fernando Alonso (AST)
16 (0) — Carlos Sainz (WIL)
12 (-1) — Liam Lawson (RB)
10 (-2) — Yuki Tsunoda (RBR)
8 (-2) — Oliver Bearman (HAS)
4 (-4) — Gabriel Bortoleto (SAU)
0 (-4) — Franco Colapinto (ALP), Jack Doohan* (ALP)
* Inactive driver
The drivers are just arriving for their parade around Spa-Francorchamps — and it's fair to say it is WET out there… Getty Images
Here is who picked up points from Saturday's sprint race around Spa on Saturday… 1: MAX VERSTAPPEN (RBR) — 8 points
— 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) — 7
3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 6
4: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5
5: Esteban Ocon (HAS) — 4
6: Carlos Sainz (WIL) — 3
7: Oliver Bearman (HAS) — 2
8: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 1 Getty Images
Oscar Piastri was happy to take that sprint race pole from Friday's qualifying, but also labelled it the worst pole position of the year given the minimal advantage from earning it.
Maybe he was right too.
Max Verstappen was able to pull off a fabulous overtake at Les Combes after Lap 1 of 15 in Saturday's sprint race and despite mounting pressure towards the end, that was job done.
Lando Norris came home third as the top three finished within 1.5 seconds of each other, while a double-points finish for Haas also caught the eye in a sprint that didn't muster much by way of overtaking action.