'I've been in his shoes,' says Jeremy Clarkson as he sympathizes with axed Red Bull boss Christian Horner

Former Top Gear Presenter Jeremy Clarkson has offered ex Red Bull boss Christian Horner a shoulder to cry on after he was sacked as Team principal last week. 

Clarkson, in his recent column for The Sun, suggested that he could relate to what Horner is going through as he experienced the same fate at the BBC. Clarkson was fired from Top Gear after he punched producer, Oisin Tymon, on the show. 

Both men have also been involved in their respective “games” since the early 2000s, with Horner joining Red Bull in 2005 while Clarkson was with Top Gear since 2002. 

Clarkson said he expects Horner to still have a successful future, post Red Bull. 

"I sent him a text after the news of his dismissal broke, pointing out that I’ve been in his shoes in the past. I explained that when you wake the following morning, it’s easy to think, 'Well, that’s that, then'.

"But in my case, that wasn’t that. I hadn’t trodden on a snake. I’d trodden on a ladder. And I bet he does, too.

"I spent a bit of time with Christian at the (British) Grand Prix on Sunday (July 6). And it was plain he had no inkling at all that the bullet was coming.

"He was with his 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, whose mother had just died of eye cancer. And we mostly talked about that and how the poor little mite was coping,” the Former Top Gear lead star said. 

Horner told his former staff members in Milton Keynes last week that he was shocked to learn that he got the boot from Red Bull. The 51-year-old F1 mogul broke down in tears as he tried to explain what the 20-year journey with Red Bull meant to him.

Horner was at the helm of Red Bull during the reign of Max Verstappen and four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel - who is rumoured to be succeeded Helmet Marko as chief advisor to Red Bull. 

Horner was replaced with Racing Bulls Principal Laurent Mekies, who is stepping into a world of unbalanced cars and tense team dynamics.

The shuffle at Red Bull has certainly placed added weight onto the shoulders of Max Verstappen, who no longer has Horner by his side and now has to adjust to Mekies style of leading. 

Already 69 points behind the Championship leader Oscar Piastri, Verstappen has to double down on his skills for the second half of the season if he wants to win a fifth World Title with the energy drink maker. 

Red Bull have two more races before the summer break in August, where they will get a chance to breathe and assess the new situation and the path forward. They will also need to pay attention to Yuki Tsunoda if they are serious about fighting for the Constructor Title. 

Tsunoda has been overshadowed by ill-performances since joining the head team and has failed to make any significant impact from the second seat, leaving Verstappen to rack up points alone. 

Tsunoda has, however, worked with Mekies before at Racing Bulls and perhaps the former relationship could play a role in his improvement this season.