What Sebastian Vettel thinks of Christian Horner’s Red Bull F1 exit

Sebastian Vettel has admitted he was “surprised” by Christian Horner’s shock exit from Red Bull earlier this year.

In July, Red Bull announced that they had parted ways with Horner, with Laurent Mekies replacing him with immediate effect.

Horner had been part of the team since 2005, overseeing their rise to world champions in 2010.

Driving for Red Bull, Vettel won all four of his world titles with the team before eventually leaving for Ferrari in 2015.

Vettel, who was in attendance at the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, gave his view on Horner’s departure and his replacement, Mekies.

“Surprised. I mean, Christian has been there for so long, since the very beginning and knows this team inside out,” Vettel told Sky Sports.

“I think for this year, everything was in place. I know Laurent as well, the success, and I worked with him and he’s a really, really great person.

“But I think Christian left some big footsteps, not just because of all the success he’s had with the team, but also I think he was such a central part of the team. He knew what was going on and so on.

“I’m not completely aware of the organisation, the structure, and especially the plan for the future. But that’s where I think it’s valid to say, let’s wait and see how it turns out.”

Vettel on possible F1 return

Vettel called time on his F1 career at the end of 2022 following a lacklustre final season with Aston Martin.

Since then, the German has been linked with a return to F1.

Most speculation has centred on Vettel rejoining Red Bull as a possible advisor, potentially replacing Helmut Marko.

When asked about returning to F1 in some capacity, Vettel said: “I don’t know. I read there was a lot of talk about it and so on. I did speak with Helmut a little bit, but it never got anywhere, never gained any traction. I think, for me, I am fairly happy where I am in life right now. 

“I love F1. In the beginning, I thought I’m not sure whether I want to keep watching because I need to get a distance. I watch the races and follow it because I love the sport.

“I know the guys as well so I am still close in that way and if I don’t know if the right opportunity, position, perspective, whatever turns out, maybe there’s a role that I could be happy to step up to, but time will tell.”