Max Verstappen Reacts To Christian Horner Firing

The Formula 1 world was rocked by the bombshell news that Red Bull Racing has moved on from Christian Horner, the only team principal in the team's history.

According to Sky Sports, Horner himself was "shocked" by the news, which he was informed about on Tuesday, and addressed the team at its Milton Keynes factory on Wednesday.

Horner's dismissal (though he told the team he was still going to be employed by the company but would have no involvement in the business or team) comes amid reports that world champion driver Max Verstappen's team has not been pleased with instability within the team that has seen numerous high-level personnel leave the team in recent years, including former technical director Adrian Newey.

However, despite these reports and rumors that Verstappen has been in talks with Mercedes, Verstappen posted a heartfelt tribute to his former team boss on social media.

"From my first race win, to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records," Verstappen's caption reads. "Thank you for everything, Christian!"

That's a nice message from a driver who really does owe Horner a lot. 

Verstappen came up through Red Bull's junior program and made his F1 debut with Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso (now known as Racing Bulls) before jumping up to the main team at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

Horner was instrumental in building the team up from its days as Stewart Grand Prix and Jaguar Racing, and the many races and championships it has won in both the Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen eras.

I think Laurent Mekies will do a great job as the team's new CEO and team principal, but he's got a big job ahead of him as the team looks to prove to Verstappen and the rest of the paddock that they're still championship contenders.