Christian Horner was sacked as team principal of Red Bull Racing in July, ending his 20-year spell in charge. No clear explanation has been provided by Red Bull so far, and the announcement of Laurent Mekies as his replacement followed just minutes after the news broke.

Sky Sports Formula 1 commentator Martin Brundle offered additional information on Christian Horner's departure from Red Bull Racing.

Formula One is famous for making lots of noise, but the silence at Red Bull on Friday was frankly deafening. After the day of the long knives a fortnight ago – comprising the bombshell dismissal of team principal Christian Horner after 20 years and 405 consecutive races in charge,