For weeks, speculation has simmered around one of the biggest shocks in recent Formula 1 history — the abrupt ousting of Christian Horner as Red Bull Racing’s team principal. At Spa-Francorchamps, with paddock gossip as thick as the Ardennes mist, veteran F1 pundit Martin Brundle stepped forward to provide clarity on the question everyone’s been whispering: Did Max Verstappen — or perhaps more pointedly, the ever-fiery Jos Verstappen — help push Horner out the door?
Christian Horner’s departure, confirmed just after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, was nothing short of seismic. Twenty years of service, eight world titles, countless wins, and one monumental power struggle later, Red Bull’s management finally pulled the plug. While fans and insiders alike scrambled to make sense of the timing and motivation, Brundle, always a reliable voice of reason with more pitlane connections than a tyre supplier, offered his own insights based on conversations with the key players involved.
“I was very surprised,” admits Brundle
Speaking on Sky Sports, Brundle reflected on the drama that unfolded after Silverstone. “The haste, the finality, the dismissal in the middle of the season after Christian had achieved so much with the team over the last 20 years, the championships, the victories — it’s truly extraordinary,” said Brundle, his tone suggesting a mixture of disbelief and measured admiration for Horner’s legacy.
While Horner’s removal sparked a storm of conspiracy theories — from political in-fighting to personal misconduct — it was the Verstappen camp that many believed played a pivotal role in the saga. After all, Jos Verstappen’s public comments throughout 2024 had been less than complimentary, especially during the height of the so-called ‘Horner affair’.
Jos had, more than once, hinted that it was time for Christian to “move on.” Add to that Max’s long flirtation with Mercedes and whispers of exit clauses, and it all began to look suspiciously like a palace coup with father and son at the centre of it.
The Verstappen connection: more firework than fire
But according to Brundle, that theory doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. “I’ve had a long conversation with Christian, I’ve spoken with Jos Verstappen, we’ve heard quite a bit from Max Verstappen, and I’ve made a request here [in Spa] to speak with Oliver Mintzlaff and Dr. Helmut Marko — which hasn’t worked out yet,” Brundle revealed.
Still, he added, “It seems clear that it was a decision made by Austria,” referring to Red Bull’s Salzburg-based corporate leadership. “It wasn’t the Verstappens who requested it.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean the Verstappens were entirely innocent bystanders, either. “Jos has thrown a lot of hand grenades over the last 16 months,” Brundle observed with classic understatement, “some of which have exploded.” Jos had, after all, made no secret of his displeasure with the team boss — lobbing public criticisms like confetti at a particularly tense wedding. But despite his noisy discontent, Brundle insists the decision ultimately came from the top brass in Austria.
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Too much Horner, not enough can?
The reasoning, according to Brundle’s reading of the situation, goes beyond interpersonal politics. “There’s an expression that goes, ‘It’s all about the can,’” he noted, alluding to Red Bull’s infamous focus on brand image and corporate alignment.
“They felt that they wanted to achieve something with Red Bull in the future, perhaps it was a little too much about Christian and not enough about Red Bull.”
That, in a nutshell, may be the most damning interpretation of Horner’s reign yet — that he became bigger than the brand itself, a dangerous crime in a corporate monarchy ruled by image, energy drinks, and meticulously-controlled messaging.
In recent years, Horner’s power and visibility had grown to such a degree that many insiders joked Red Bull Racing should have been renamed “Team Christian.” With no Dietrich Mateschitz to keep the old balances in check following the Red Bull co-founder’s passing, and Helmut Marko’s influence waning with age, Horner had arguably become the dominant force in the team — and perhaps, in the eyes of some, too dominant.
Max: silent assent or tactical neutrality?
Which brings us back to the driver at the centre of it all. Brundle was careful not to overstate Max Verstappen’s involvement, but he didn’t absolve him entirely either. “Max probably could have prevented this if he had wanted to,” he said. “But either he chose not to, or it wasn’t possible. I assume he chose not to prevent Christian’s dismissal.”
That’s a damning little sentence, isn’t it? Verstappen, Red Bull’s biggest asset, a four-time world champion and still only 27, had the power to step in. He could have made it politically untenable to sack Horner mid-season. But he didn’t. Whether through quiet indifference or strategic foresight, he let the axe fall.
In a way, this neatly sums up the Verstappen ethos. Fiercely loyal when it suits him, ferociously focused on results, and utterly disinterested in PR diplomacy. Max’s decision to stay silent may well have been the loudest message of all — that he no longer saw Horner as integral to his success at Red Bull.
Horner’s endgame, Verstappen’s calculation
What’s now abundantly clear is that the Horner dismissal was not an impulsive move, nor was it merely the result of bad press. It was a calculated reshuffle by the higher-ups in Austria, likely designed to regain control over a Formula 1 operation that had, for better or worse, become a fiefdom.
Verstappen’s passive stance suggests a driver thinking long-term. With a contract until the end of 2028 and performance clauses that are increasingly hard to trigger, staying silent might have been a way to ensure the team reorients itself around him rather than its outgoing team principal.
In letting Horner go quietly into that London meeting room where the decision was broken to him, Verstappen may have sent the clearest signal yet that, at Red Bull Racing, the king is not dead. He just wears a helmet and drives a car with a bull on it.
So what now for Red Bull and Verstappen?
With Horner gone and Laurent Mekies now leading the charge, the Verstappen era looks set to continue, though its tone may shift. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on your view of Horner’s legacy — a genius, a political operator, or both.
For now, Red Bull appears to be backing its golden boy and cutting loose anyone who might stand in the way of a clean new chapter. But as Brundle’s Spa paddock tea leaves suggest, the Verstappens may not have pulled the trigger — they simply declined to jam the safety catch.
We’re trying to grow a new online F1 community over on Facebook, where fellow jurors can discuss who really runs Red Bull these days, and whether Horner’s exit was inevitable all along. Join the debate at https://www.facebook.com/TheJudge13 and follow the gavel of justice for more F1 truth bombs. #TJ13
But now over to you, the jury — was Verstappen complicit by omission, or simply smart enough to stay out of the firing line? Was Horner’s departure the right move, or a power grab too far? Let us know in the comments below…
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The debrief from the British Grand Prix saw a number of the driver’s suggest the FIA could have delayed the start by 20-30 minutes as the forecast was for improving conditions. The start in Belgium was handled well by the race director, who sent the cars out on a formation lap which was then immediately red flagged which meant the three hour clock for the race to be completed did not start.
Torrential rain returned twenty minutes after the scheduled start and it was plain for all to see that racing at that time was not possible. But the heavy rain cleared up relatively quickly and all that remained for the forty minutes before the actual start was sanctioned by race control, was some light drizzle followed by around fifteen minutes of sunshine which resulted in the track beginning to dry quickly…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Red Bull could do well to get rid of Marko’s sh.t stirring and negative stance towards many past drivers. He shares the arrogance of Jos V.
Christain put ‘ the can ‘ into the focus of millions of vans only to be treated like this.
I don’t drink RB but supporters/fans of Christain should change brands.
Stop drinking Red Bull, everyone!
The “team’s” treatment of Horner was awful – plain and simple.
The Verstappens are arrogant idiots to have debased him in such a way. Fans know who they are and they don’t like what’s happened. The Verstappen brand has been as damaged as the team’s. Looks good on them.
High time Max stopped Daddy from coming to work it’s not cute at his age. Be your own man Max you’re a big boy now ! Christian Horner put life and soul into RB and has been treated appallingly. I believe the Verstappens stood silently by and let the axe fall. I truly think this because Jos has been vocal and nasty and asking for Christian to go or Max would go elsewhere. Best of,luck to Christian.