Max Verstappen credits Christian Horner: “We stayed in touch all year, he helped the comeback”. Max Verstappen reflects on the crucial role of Chris Horner in Red Bull.

Max Verstappen emphasizes the importance of Chris Horner within Red Bull, even after his departure from the team.

Verstappen gives credit to Horner

The 2025 Red Bull season had a symbolic turning point in the dismissal of Chris Horner. After the departure of the long-time team principal, the British team regained momentum, securing 50% of the victories (six out of 12 Grands Prix) once the championship passed its midpoint. The narrative of a “problem” Horner and a “magician” Laurent Mekies was certainly an oversimplification convenient for some media and supported by Helmut Marko, the former Austrian advisor who won the internal power struggle against Horner. Marko claimed Red Bull would have won the championship if the pit wall change had happened earlier.

However, the reality is different. The results seen today in Formula 1 are the sum of discussed, planned, and executed decisions over the past months. Therefore, Horner’s impact throughout the 2025 season cannot be forgotten, and not just in the early part. Max Verstappen shares this perspective, setting aside any frictions between Horner and the “clan” that also includes his father, Jos.

Max Verstappen’s words

“Things weren’t going well inside the team in terms of results, there was a bit of unrest, and when things don’t go well for a while, the shareholders want to see a change,” the Dutch driver explained to his compatriots at Viaplay. “With Christian, I still built a strong bond. There are moments I will never forget, like in 2021. He threw himself into the fire for me.”

“We stayed in contact every weekend, during every race, even after his dismissal. He would say, ‘I wish you good luck and I believe in you. I’m your biggest fan,’ but also about everything we went through together,” he added. “Christian achieved great results in the team, some still have to reach that level. And he also brought people into the team who helped us in this comeback.”

Max Verstappen’s loyalty to the man who oversaw his rise to superstardom remains unshaken by the political turmoil at Milton Keynes. By acknowledging Christian Horner’s role in the team’s late-season resurgence, Max is sending a clear message: the technical recovery was not an overnight miracle, but the result of a long-term vision that Horner helped establish. As the team moves into a new era, the shadow of its former leader clearly still looms large over the garage.