Ranked: Is Christian Horner sack the biggest shock in F1 history?

In a week dominated by the sudden departure of Christian Horner from Red Bull, we’ve looked back through the history books at some of the most shocking moments in F1 history.

With 75 years of world championship history to pore through, we’ve capped our list at the shocking events, rather than heading down the rabbit hole of sensational and upset performances and results.

1. Christian Horner sacked by Red Bull

After two decades in charge of Red Bull, Christian Horner was sensationally sacked shortly after the 2025 British Grand Prix.

There had been pressure and tension and whispers that he was living on borrowed time, but Horner looked to have put the worst of it behind him after a tumultuous start to the 2024 season.

At the team’s home event in Austria, he met with Red Bull bosses and there were smiles on the grid – even if it was a far from stellar performance from the team with Max Verstappen eliminated on the opening lap and Yuki Tsunoda finishing last.

Pole position in Silverstone a week later was encouraging, before the axe fell on Horner on the Wednesday after a sodden race. While long thought a possibility, none expected it to be delivered quite when it was.

2. Sebastian Vettel retirement triggers Fernando Alonso switch

Ahead of the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel announced he would retire from F1 at the end of the year.

Vettel’s retirement was not in itself especially sensational. The German had faded in his latter years, and hadn’t won a race since moving to Aston Martin – all the indications that he was set to step away were there.

What wasn’t predicted was Fernando Alonso’s bombshell a few days later. Having implied to his Alpine bosses that he was committed to the team for F1 2023 as he left the Hungaroring on Sunday evening, on Tuesday morning he was confirmed at Aston Martin in a move few saw coming.

The saga wasn’t done there, as Alpine responded by announcing it had promoted Oscar Piastri from reserve driver in Alonso’s place, triggering that Tweet as the Aussie ended up at McLaren for his debut season.

3. Crashgate, the fallout of Singapore 2008

Fernando Alonso’s success at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix came against the grain. As it transpired, he benefited from collusion within the team after team boss Flavio Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds instructed Nelson Piquet Jnr to crash at a pre-determined point on the Marina Bay circuit.

Initially dismissed as an odd incident, it was only once the Brazilian was sacked by Renault that he went public with the claim that saw Briatore and Symonds slapped with life-time bans – since overturned by a French court.

For his part in the revelation, Piquet received immunity, though his career in Formula 1 was over by that point anyway. Meanwhile, regulations regarding race results meant, even though the win was tainted, it stood.

4. Nico Rosberg retirement

The battle for the 2016 World Championship between Nico Robserg and Lewis Hamilton was a tense affair, with the former emerging victorious.

His championship glory was both the most significant and final moment of his career as, in the days that followed, he announced that he would not continue into 2017.

During their time together, the relationship between Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton gradually deteriorated to the point it became toxic. Having lost out to Hamilton in the two previous seasons, Rosberg went to extremes with his preparation in 2016 in his efforts to land a maiden title.

He duly delivered and, having reached the pinnacle of the sport and knowing the effort it required, with nothing left to prove, he walked away.

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5. Michael Schumacher retires from Formula 1

After claiming victory in the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher sent a shockwave around the world by confirming his retirement.

“This is the last Monza race that I’m going to do,” he said, flanked by Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica. “At the end of this year, I’ve decided, together with the team, that I’m going to retire from racing.”

Schumacher had won five world titles in a row with the Scuderia from 2000-2004, but the squad found things tougher going after subtle but critical changes to the technical regulations hurt the Prancing Horse.

Still competitive, it was clear that a new generation was on the way up – Fernando Alonso won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 with Renault – and Schumacher bowed out at the end of the season.

He returned for three more seasons with Mercedes, though the sport had moved on and an ageing Schumacher was not the same driver he’d been with Ferrari.

6. Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari

After more than a decade with Mercedes, and six world championships, Lewis Hamilton’s decision to swap silver for red was one of the biggest stories in Formula 1 history.

News began to leak out in the days ahead of the January 2024 announcement, though it remained a seismic event when it was confirmed; the most successful driver in the history of the world championship, joining its most successful and recognisable team. It was a monumental story.

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