Sebastian Vettel opens up on shock Christian Horner announcement - 'It's valid to say...'

Sebastian Vettel believes that Christian Horner 'left some big footsteps' at Red Bull when the team dismissed him after the British Grand Prix earlier this year. The four-time world champion admitted to being 'surprised' by the switch, which saw Laurent Mekies step up to replace him from Racing Bulls.

Mekies has done an exceptional job since taking over from Horner at Milton Keynes. Heading into the summer break, Red Bull's season looked to be over with the RB21's performance dipping, Max Verstappen's future in doubt and both World Championships out of reach.

Now, Verstappen is on a seven-race podium streak, and Red Bull head into the season-ending triple header in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi third in the Constructors' Championship standings with Mercedes in reach, 22 points ahead.

Even the Drivers' Championship title fight came back into Verstappen's view, although Lando Norris' clean sweep in Brazil means that the reigning world champion is now 49 points off the pace in his quest to clinch a fifth successive F1 crown.

"Surprised," Vettel told Sky Sports when asked for his reaction to Horner's exit. "I mean, Christian has been there for so long, since the very beginning and knows this team inside out.

"I think for this year, everything was in place. I know Laurent as well, the success [he has had], 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."

According to Verstappen, the early signs of Mekies' tenure are positive. Earlier this summer, the Dutchman opted against leaving Red Bull for Mercedes, giving his new boss time to turn the ship around at the peak of speculation linking him with a move away.

Speaking to De Telegraaf in Mexico City, Verstappen was asked if the team's recent turnaround would have been possible under Horner. "You can't possibly know for sure," he replied. "But I'm just really happy with how things are going within the team right now.

"Not just with Laurent, but with all of Red Bull Racing. And also the whole relationship between the shareholders in Austria and Thailand. Everyone is on the same page. For such a major brand and racing team, that's really important.

"Many people knew things weren't going well, but it's not always easy to fix things. I'm also going to the track with a more comfortable feeling now. But the results and the fact that I have a more competitive car also help in that regard."