CHOP-CHOP

There is a reason the Formula One paddock is called The Piranha Club, as Christian Horner has just discovered.

He has been punted from the top job at Red Bull Racing in a move he has described as "a shock" during a short exit address to staff at the team's headquarters in the UK.

No-one yet knows exactly why Horner had to go.

There will be plenty of speculation about a coup by Max Verstappen, or Helmut Marko, or Jos Verstappen, or a combination all three, after more than a year of turbulent times at the team.

Red Bull has also had a series of high-profile defections, led by technical director Adrian Newey's move to Aston Martin, and the team has had a massive slide in its performance.

And there were also allegations of sexual misconduct, which may have been a partial trigger for Newey's unhappiness at the team, although two investigations by Red Bull proved nothing untoward by Horner.

Most recently, there has been talk of Verstappen moving to Mercedes-AMG.

Horner's replacement as CEO and team principal at The Bulls is Laurent Mekies, who has been promoted from Racing Bulls in a way that mirrors the traditional driver moves between the junior and senior teams.

There will now be extended speculation about Horner's fall, even if there is no questioning his rise.

He took the dishevelled Jaguar team and turned it into an F1 powerhouse, winning six constructors' titles and eight drivers' championships split equally between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Australian drivers also starred for the Bulls, firstly Mark Webber and then Daniel Riccardo winning races.

And Horner married one of the Spice Girls, Geri 'Ginger' Halliwell.

His removal was decided from Red Bull headquarters in Austria, where it appears he has lost the support of senior management. Previously he had always been protected by the late Dietrich Mateschitz, one of the two founders of the energy drink empire.

"Yesterday I was informed by Red Bull that, operationally, I will no longer be involved with the business or the team moving forward from after this gathering," Horner told staff at Milton Keynes.

"I will still remain employed by the company, but operationally, the baton will be handed over. And that obviously came as a shock to myself, but what I've had time to do is to reflect over the last 12 hours or so.

"And I wanted to stand in front of all of you to break this news and just express my gratitude to each and every single member of the team that has given so much during the last 20 and a half years that I've been here.

"When I arrived 20 years ago, with a few less grey hairs, I walked into the team, I didn't know what to expect, but I was immediately welcomed. And out of two rundown buildings, we started to build what became a powerhouse in Formula 1. Watching and being part of this team has been the biggest privilege in my life."