Max Verstappen Responds to Christian Horner's Mysteriously Abrupt Red Bull Exit

There's no doubt about it: Christian Horner and Max Verstappen have been an integral part of the Red Bull Formula 1 team. With Christian working as team principal and Max one of the biggest stars in the industry, they made a formidable pair.

But no more.

On July 9, 2025, Red Bull abruptly announced that they were firing Christian and neglected to give a reason. Max responded to the announcement quickly, offering his support and gratitude to Christian throughout their time together on the team. Here's what Max had to say about Christian's abrupt departure and why it's ironic.

In 2024, Christian faced a slew of allegations of inappropriate behavior via text message with a female employee. Through a thorough investigation, it would seem that he was cleared of those charges.

So it seems unlikely that they are related to news released on July 9, 2025, that Red Bull was letting Christian go.

Forbes reports that Christian's 20-year tenure as part of the Red Bull team was rife with both controversy and championships, often putting him at the crux of a disagreement between the team's billionaire owners. But now it would seem that they've decided to move forward without him.

Max immediately took to Instagram to share his thoughts on his friend's departure. He shared an image of the two of them hugging, and captioned the image, "From my first race win, to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records." He concluded, "Thank you for everything, Christian!"

There is, of course, some irony in the fact that Max is now wishing Christian farewell. Because it wasn't that long prior to Christian's firing that it was Max who was considering leaving. And at the time of Christian's firing, Max still seems to be mulling the decision over.

Reports say that Max is not entirely convinced that the Red Bull team is setting him up for success, and his contract may allow him to depart if particular performance measures aren't met by the team's leadership and the team in general. When asked about his friend's potential departure from the team, Christian told Sky Sports F1, "There are absolutely no guarantees for any team or any engine manufacturer that can, hand on heart, say that they are significantly ahead of any other manufacturer."

He added, "Who knows what the pecking order will be? 2026 represents the biggest regulation change with both chassis and engine, probably in the last 50 years of F1." Christian mused, "Now, Max is probably the most in-demand driver, he's the best in the world, he is absolutely, unequivocally the best driver. Now, when you think of it objectively, in 2026, staying where he is ... he's going to have all of those options, it won't just be with one team, it'll be with all of the teams for 2027."

He concluded, "And it's down to us to demonstrate that we're on the right trajectory, that we're performing, that we're progressing—that Red Bull is the right place for him to be."

We aren't a fly on the wall, so it's hard to imagine how the conversations are going down with the Red Bull owners. But letting one of Max's staunchest allies on the team go may not be the best selling point for him to stay. Time will tell, however.