diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index d98a4ffc2..2a838c231 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -134,7 +134,6 @@ Suggests:
     grDevices,
     gt,
     httptest2,
-    httr,
     httr2,
     interp,
     ivreg,
diff --git a/R/download_model.R b/R/download_model.R
index 56e528e8d..afbdb0c58 100644
--- a/R/download_model.R
+++ b/R/download_model.R
@@ -32,54 +32,6 @@ download_model <- function(name,
                            url = "https://raw.github.com/easystats/circus/master/data/",
                            extension = ".rda",
                            verbose = TRUE) {
-  if (check_if_installed("httr2", quietly = TRUE)) {
-    .download_data_httr2(name, url, extension, verbose)
-  } else {
-    .download_data_httr(name, url, extension, verbose)
-  }
-}
-
-
-# Download rda files from github, using httr
-.download_data_httr <- function(name, url, extension, verbose) {
-  check_if_installed("httr", "to download models from the circus-repo")
-
-  url <- paste0(url, name, extension)
-
-  temp_file <- tempfile()
-  on.exit(unlink(temp_file))
-
-  result <- tryCatch(
-    {
-      request <- httr::GET(url)
-      httr::stop_for_status(request)
-    },
-    error = function(e) {
-      if (verbose) {
-        format_alert(
-          "Could not download model. Request failed with following error:",
-          e$message
-        )
-      }
-      NULL
-    }
-  )
-  if (is.null(result)) {
-    return(NULL)
-  }
-
-  writeBin(httr::content(request, type = "raw"), temp_file)
-
-  x <- load(temp_file)
-  model <- get(x)
-  rm(x)
-
-  model
-}
-
-
-# Download rda files from github, using httr2
-.download_data_httr2 <- function(name, url, extension = ".rda", verbose = TRUE) {
   check_if_installed("httr2", "to download models from the circus-repo")
 
   url <- paste0(url, name, extension)
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-GLMMadaptive.R b/tests/testthat/test-GLMMadaptive.R
index be014f897..96b7b8543 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-GLMMadaptive.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-GLMMadaptive.R
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 skip_if_offline()
 skip_if_not_installed("GLMMadaptive")
 skip_if_not_installed("lme4")
-skip_if_not_installed("httr")
+skip_if_not_installed("httr2")
 
 m <- download_model("GLMMadaptive_zi_2")
 m2 <- download_model("GLMMadaptive_zi_1")
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-brms_aterms.R b/tests/testthat/test-brms_aterms.R
index 922bf4f24..fd0c50ef5 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-brms_aterms.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-brms_aterms.R
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ skip_on_cran()
 skip_if_offline()
 skip_on_os("mac")
 skip_if_not_installed("brms")
-skip_if_not_installed("httr")
+skip_if_not_installed("httr2")
 
 # Model fitting -----------------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-brms_missing.R b/tests/testthat/test-brms_missing.R
index 137818b4b..a4637555f 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-brms_missing.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-brms_missing.R
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ skip_on_cran()
 skip_if_offline()
 skip_on_os("mac")
 skip_if_not_installed("brms")
-skip_if_not_installed("httr")
+skip_if_not_installed("httr2")
 
 # Model fitting -----------------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-clean_names.R b/tests/testthat/test-clean_names.R
index 1b4b6df35..0b3ed1815 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-clean_names.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-clean_names.R
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ test_that("clean_names, model", {
 
 skip_on_cran()
 skip_if_offline()
-skip_if_not_installed("httr")
+skip_if_not_installed("httr2")
 
 test_that("clean_names, multimembership", {
   m1 <- suppressWarnings(insight::download_model("brms_mm_1"))
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-download_model.R b/tests/testthat/test-download_model.R
index ad61084b3..257607dea 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-download_model.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-download_model.R
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 skip_if_not_installed("httptest2")
+skip_if_not_installed("httr2")
 
 httptest2::with_mock_dir("download-model-success", {
   test_that("we can successfully get existing model", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-format_table.R b/tests/testthat/test-format_table.R
index 2c8d67ff5..2aef7b5e0 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-format_table.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-format_table.R
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ skip_if_offline()
 skip_on_os(c("mac", "linux", "solaris"))
 skip_if_not_installed("bayestestR")
 skip_if_not_installed("rstanarm")
-skip_if_not_installed("httr")
+skip_if_not_installed("httr2")
 
 # test for bayesian models -----------------
 m1 <- insight::download_model("stanreg_glm_1")
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-gam.R b/tests/testthat/test-gam.R
index a5d08386d..ae6f4b2bb 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-gam.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-gam.R
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 skip_if_offline()
 skip_if_not_installed("mgcv")
-skip_if_not_installed("httr")
+skip_if_not_installed("httr2")
 skip_if_not_installed("withr")
 
 set.seed(123)
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_loglikelihood.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_loglikelihood.R
index 74e924b2c..4fe347679 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_loglikelihood.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_loglikelihood.R
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ test_that("get_loglikelihood - (g)lmer", {
   ll2 <- stats::logLik(x, REML = FALSE)
   expect_equal(as.numeric(ll), as.numeric(ll2), tolerance = 1e-4, ignore_attr = TRUE)
 
-  skip_if_not_installed("httr")
+  skip_if_not_installed("httr2")
 
   model <- download_model("lmerMod_1")
   skip_if(is.null(model))