Max Verstappen breaks silence on Christian Horner's Red Bull departure in official statement

Max Verstappen has broken his silence on the much-talked about departure of Christian Horner from Red Bull.

Less than two years after the most dominant season in F1 history and it was confirmed on Wednesday that team principal Horner has been sacked by Red Bull with immediate effect after more than 20 years of service.

Horner, who helped Red Bull win six Constructors' Championship titles between 2010 and 2023, was informed of the surprise decision on Tuesday evening. He later addressed the team in an emotional speech at their UK base in Milton Keynes.

A statement from Red Bull revealed that the 51-year-old will be replaced by Laurent Mekies, who was the team principal at sister team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.

Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff said: "We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years. With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1."

Mintzlaff added: "Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history."

Now, several hours after the news was announced, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has broken his silence on Horner's departure.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon, Verstappen wrote: "From my first race win, to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records. Thank you for everything, Christian!"

The Dutchman also posted a picture of the pair embracing, as seen below.

In the past, Horner's position has been questioned but Verstappen – who is widely regarded as the best driver on the current grid – has often stood by the now-former team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing.

Speaking about Horner back in March 2024, Verstappen said: "When I look at how Christian operates within the team he has been an incredible boss so from the performance kind of things you can’t question that.

"I speak to Christian a lot and he is fully committed to the team. He is here for the performance, and of course he is a little bit distracted, but we just focus on performance and that is how we all work together."

Verstappen posted this picture on his Instagram after Horner was sacked. Image credit: maxverstappen1

Atmosphere at Red Bull revealed in new report

The atmosphere within the Red Bull team was becoming tense, according to ESPN, with the uncertainty over Verstappen's future – as well as the team's poor start to the 2025 campaign – only adding fuel to the fire.

It has also been suggested that a series of meetings took place over the past two weekends.

The report stated that at least one of those meetings involved Verstappen and director Mintzlaff, with the latter pushing for a change of leadership.

Horner's final race for Red Bull came last weekend at Silverstone, where Verstappen finished fifth and Yuki Tsunoda came home last.