Verstappen stuns with Horner confession – Max Verstappen surprised fans by revealing just how close he remains with Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal for many years, who was dismissed in summer 2025. Until recently, it was widely thought that their relationship had been strained, or even broken, but Verstappen’s latest statements tell a very different story.

In an interview with Viaplay, the 28-year-old Dutch driver confirmed that he still speaks to Horner “every race”, despite the dramatic changes within Red Bull over the past year.

“Things weren’t going particularly well for the team,” Verstappen reflected, recalling Red Bull’s period of weakness before Horner’s exit in July 2025.

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A Surprising Revelation

Fans and insiders had assumed that Horner’s dismissal would bring an end to his partnership with Red Bull’s star driver. But Verstappen painted a different picture. He described a deep bond forged through years of shared triumphs and trials.

“It’s always difficult. You forge a bond with Christian and achieve so much, especially in 2021, with all those moments during my first world championship title. You never forget that. Christian has truly gone through fire for me,” he said.

He went on to explain how their communication continues unabated.

“We speak every week, every race,” he revealed. “On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, usually via text message. But also on holidays, for example. Every week.”

This offers a rare insight into the personal side of Formula 1, where professional rivalries and team politics often take precedence over personal relationships. Despite the pressures of competition and management changes, Verstappen and Horner have maintained a close connection.

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Horner’s Red Bull Legacy

Christian Horner joined Red Bull in 2005, and over the next two decades he built one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history. Under his leadership, Red Bull claimed eight drivers’ world championships, four with Sebastian Vettel and four with Verstappen, and six constructors’ titles.

However, Horner’s final years at Red Bull were fraught with difficulties. In early 2024, he was accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female employee. Although Red Bull ultimately cleared him of all allegations, the episode shook the organisation. Meanwhile, Horner was reportedly seeking more power within the company, which angered the Austrian faction of Red Bull management, led by chief advisor Helmut Marko and CEO Oliver Mintzlaff.

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The Summer 2025 Shake-Up

Red Bull’s on-track struggles in the first half of 2025 intensified internal pressures. Shareholders, including the Thai majority owners around Chalerm Yoovidhya, who had previously supported Horner, decided it was time for a change. The 52-year-old team principal was forced to step down mid-season, bringing an end to his remarkable two-decade tenure.

Despite his high-profile departure and the challenges of Red Bull’s management shake-up, Verstappen’s relationship with Horner has endured. The Dutch driver’s openness about their continued contact highlights the personal loyalty and respect that can endure even amidst professional turmoil.

“Christian and I have been through so much together. That bond doesn’t just disappear,” concluded Verstappen.

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NEXT ARTICLE – FIA plans to reduce the power of the manufacturers

There is grave concern at the FIA over how the all new 2026 Formula One power units will perform. In a desperate bid to prevent an epic failure in the racing spectacle, F1’s governing body convened an emergency meeting with the manufacturers in Bahrain to correct the ‘over optimistic’ power output from the hybrid side of the new engines.

Concerns were first raised by Christian Horner in 2023 that the all new specification of power units would create “Frankenstein monsters” due to an over reliance on electrical output. Almost two years later the FIA’s pow wow in Bahrain sought to address this issue.

The problem is that at a number of circuits where braking is limited and the straights are long, that the cars will be incapable of generating enough electrical charge to deliver the mandated 50% of power output.

 

Concerns electrical output overstated

This would result in cars ruing out of electrical charge towards the end of the straights, visibly slowing the cars as they approached the next turn. The spectacle could be disastrous for the fans and the series would descend into farce.

Yet any reduction in the amount of electrical output had to be agreed by all but one of the PU manufacturers and such agreement could not be found. The result was both the FIA and FOM issuing statements suggesting the current F1 power cycle could be truncated and a return to V*’s introduced before even 2030.

Foiled by their attempt to introduce what would be a mere software adjustment for all the teams, the FIA issued a dictate in August which outlined how they would prevent F1 becoming a farce or dominated by a single manufacturer who has aced the new PU regulations.

FIA director of day to day operations, Nicolas Tombazis revealed: “We’ve introduced a…READ MORE ON THIS STORY