Christian Horner believes the Verstappen family played no role in his sacking from the top job at Red Bull Racing, with the former boss blaming Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko and CEO Oliver Mintzlaff for his dismissal.
Horner had led Red Bull Racing from its 2005 inception and had spearheaded its six constructors titles and eight drivers championship, but the Englishman was unexpectedly cut from the team last July in a boardroom coup.
He formally left the team in September with what some outlets have reported was a US$100 million (A$140 million) payout, and the 52-year-old will be free to join a rival team later this season.
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His exit followed tensions between him and Jos Verstappen, the father of four-time champion Max Verstappen, which surfaced around 18 months earlier after Horner was accused of inappropriate workplace behaviour by a female employee.
Though Horner was cleared by an externally conducted Red Bull investigation, Jos Verstappen remained his chief antagonist, publicly calling for him to be removed from the team.
Max Verstappen had also allowed questions about his future with Red Bull Racing to linger in the early part of 2025, when the team was being comfortably beaten by McLaren.
But speaking in the newest series of Drive to Survive premiering on Friday, Horner denied the Verstappen camp was behind his axing, instead pinning the blame on agitators at Austria’s Red Bull headquarters.
“[Verstappen’s] father has never been my biggest fan. He’s been outspoken about me. But I don’t believe the Verstappens were responsible in any way,” he said.
“I think this was a decision that was made by Oliver Mintzlaff, with Helmut advising from the sideline.”
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Horner has said little about his dismissal, but Red Bull appeared to be uncomfortable with how much personal power the Englishman had been able to accumulate over the years thanks to Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz having given him effectively a blank slate to build the team.
Mateschitz’s death in 2022 kicked off waves of infighting over control of the team. Marko, who had been appointed as Mateschitz’s motorsport intermediary, emerged as Horner’s key internal rival.
Horner’s dismissal was initially regarded as a win for Marko, but the Austrian unexpectedly left the team at the end of last season, making it a pyrrhic victory at best. He later slammed Horner’s behaviour in an exit interview with Dutch paper De Limburger.
“I think ultimately things changed within the business, within the group,” Horner said, hinting at that theory. “The founder died, and after Dietrich’s death, I think probably I was deemed to have maybe too much control.
“I feel a real sense of loss and hurt. It was all rather sudden. I didn’t really get the chance to say a proper goodbye.
“I never imagined to be in this position. Of course your immediate reaction when you’re delivered a shit sandwich like that is to say, ‘F*** them’. I had something taken away from me which wasn’t my choice which was very precious to me.”
He also admitted, though, that the team’s on-track results, which had shielded him from internal scrutiny when they were strong, left him vulnerable when they dropped off last year.
“I only ever gave my best — I did my best for my team, for the people that I represented,” he said. “But performance this year [2025] hasn’t been as strong as previously.”
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Max Verstappen stayed neutral during most of Red Bull Racing’s internal ructions except to defend Marko in early 2024, when the Austrian powerbroker appeared at risk of being sacked.
Despite being part of the Marko camp, Verstappen told Viaplay last year that he remained close with Horner, with whom he was still in regular friendly contact.
“You’ve built up a bond with Christian and achieved so much,” he said. “You’ll never forget that. Christian really went through fire for me.
“Every week, every race [we talk]. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday and usually via text message. But also on holiday, for example. Every week.”
But Verstappen also suggested that Red Bull Racing was in better shape without Horner at the helm.
“The team is doing well,” he said. “We have a lot of confidence. You see people smiling, it’s a nice environment, everyone gets along well and we missed that at one point. The Red Bull style was a bit lost or gone.
“[Team spirit] has definitely returned.”
Horner also revealed to Drive to Survive an unexpectedly cordial text message exchange with long-time rival Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss.
“I didn’t know what to say, because on one side you’ve been a real a***hole,” the message read. “But on the other hand, the sport will miss one of its main protagonists. Who should I fight? And ‘love to hate’ as you always said? Wolff and Horner have a combined 14 of the last 15 world championships. Not a bad joint statistic.”
Horner replied: “I’ve loved locking horns with you all these years. So thank you for the rivalry, the competition and the needle. No one else even came close, as the statistics point out. I wish you all the very best for the future. PS, you need a haircut.”
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