Speaking prior to Horner's exit, ex-F1 driver and Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher declared that Red Bull had likely given up attempting to stop the move to Mercedes for their star driver. "At Red Bull, it's now reached the top that the World Championship issue for Verstappen is over," he said.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has pledged not give up on the Formula 1 title fight until it's mathematically impossible for Max Verstappen to win.