Christian Horner does not believe that Max or Jos Verstappen are “in any way responsible” for Red Bull’s departure, but says former colleague Helmut Marko played a key role in the shock sacking.
Horner was sacked as Red Bull’s team principal and chief executive officer in July last year, despite enjoying great success running the team since entering F1 in 2005.
Breaking his silence on the reasons behind his departure from Netflix’s latest series F1: Drive to Survive, which will be released on Friday, Horner said: “I feel a real sense of loss and hurt. It happened quite suddenly. I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye properly.”
“I never imagined I would be in this position. Of course, my immediate reaction when it was delivered to me as a *** sandwich like that would be to say, ‘**** them.’ I had something very precious to me taken away from me that was not of my choice.”
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Christian Horner met with FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem for a “chat among friends” amid speculation about the former Red Bull manager’s return to F1.
Many believed Verstappen’s side, who won four consecutive drivers’ titles under Horner from 2021 to 2024, played a role in the Briton’s exit.
However, the 52-year-old claims he was ultimately forced out after a power struggle at Red Bull following the death of team owner and founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022.
“His father was never my biggest fan. He has been outspoken about me. But I don’t think Verstappen and the others were responsible in any way. I think this was a decision made by Oliver Mintzlaff with Helmut advising him from the sidelines.”
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Max Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen insists there is “no problem” with Christian Horner leaving Red Bull.
“Ultimately, I think things changed within the business, within the group. After the founder passed away and Dietrich (Mateschitz) passed away, I think people probably thought I was being too controlling.”
Marko is Mateschitz’s trusted motorsport advisor and has worked closely with Horner for many years, but found himself ousted by Red Bull just months after the Briton at the end of the 2025 season.
Horner reveals emotional farewell to Wolff
During Horner’s tenure, his main rival in the pit lane was Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, and the pair regularly engaged in verbal wars in the media as the drivers battled for victory.
In perhaps the most intense championship showdown in the history of the sport, nothing was more tense than when Verstappen defeated Hamilton to win the 2021 drivers’ title.
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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff talks about Christian Horner’s dismissal from Red Bull.
Despite their feud, Horner revealed to the Drive to Survive cameras the emotional message Wolff sent him after he was fired.
It read: “I didn’t know what to say, because on one level you were a real asshole. But on the other side, this sport would be losing one of its main characters.
“Who should I fight? And, as you always say, ‘I love to hate’? Wolff and Horner have won a combined 14 of the past 15 world championships. Not bad for a joint statistic.”
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Relive the ups and downs of Christian Horner’s time as Red Bull team principal after he was recently relieved of his duties.
Horner also read out a response that read: “I’ve loved locking horns with you guys all these years. So thank you for the rivalry, the competition, and the needle. As the stats show, no one else came close. I wish you the best of luck going forward. P.S. You need a haircut.”
All eight episodes of Formula 1: Drive to Survive will be available on Netflix starting Friday, February 27th. Sky customers can access Netflix via Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream.
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