Christian Horner opens up about his dismissal from Red Bull in the latest season of Drive to Survive. The Briton was at the helm of the F1 team for twenty years but was sent packing last year based on disappointing results. Horner, who always played a prominent role in the Netflix docuseries, suggests to the cameras that Helmut Marko was partly responsible for his departure; according to him, Max Verstappen’s camp is not to blame.
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In his final years at Red Bull, Horner faced increasing criticism, not least because of allegations of sexual misconduct by a female employee. On top of that, disappointing performances on the track followed in 2025. Jos Verstappen was one of the Englishman’s most outspoken critics at the time. Netflix therefore asked Horner whether Max Verstappen and his father were involved in his dismissal.
‘Verstappens are not to blame’
The former team principal resolutely rejected that idea. Although he acknowledged that his relationship with Jos Verstappen had cooled, Horner maintained that the Verstappen camp bore no responsibility. “Max’s father has never been my biggest fan,” he stated, to put it mildly. “He has spoken out openly against me. But I don’t believe the Verstappens were responsible for it in any way,” he emphasized.
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According to Horner, Red Bull top advisor Helmut Marko may have played a role. Marko, a loyal ally of the late team founder Dietrich Mateschitz, was already directly opposed to the team principal during the scandal surrounding Horner. The Austrian enjoyed the support of Oliver Mintzlaff, who in many ways is seen as Mateschitz’s successor. Horner, in turn, was supported by the Thai majority shareholders. “I think my dismissal was a decision made by Oliver Mintzlaff, with Helmut Marko advising him from the sidelines,” Horner said. “After Mateschitz’s death, the balance of power within the company changed. It was probably thought that I had too much control,” he concluded.
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