Christian Horner: Verstappen camps not blamed for Red Bull exit in Season 8
Christian Horner appears in the new season of Drive to Survive, saying he does not believe Max or Jos Verstappen were "responsible in any way" for his shock Red Bull sacking — a revelation that lands as the series launches Friday ahead of the 2026 season in Australia. christian horner breaks his silence on the circumstances of his July dismissal and on a private kitchen-table moment with his wife that the episode captures.
Christian Horner rejects Verstappen camp role
Horner tells the cameras he does not hold Max or Jos Verstappen responsible for his removal as Red Bull team principal and chief executive in July last year. He points to a power struggle inside the company after the death of the team owner and founder in October 2022, and identifies a senior adviser as having played a key role in the decision-making that led to his ousting. Horner said he felt "a real sense of loss and hurt" and that the dismissal was "all rather sudden, " adding that he "didn't really get the chance to say a proper goodbye. "
Kitchen-table scene with Geri Halliwell
The season includes intimate footage of Horner telling his wife at home that his departure was "all done and dusted, " a moment shown around a kitchen table where Halliwell is visibly emotional. The episode captures Horner saying he "never imagined to be in this position" and the now-familiar line about being delivered a "s*** sandwich, " a comment he pairs with the blunt response that follows such a shock. Later sequences show the couple watching a race with Halliwell describing how she had feared the outcome after sensing something was wrong earlier in the year.
Power struggle and what comes next
Horner frames his exit as the consequence of shifting control within the business after the founder's death. He suggested the decision was made by a senior executive with the trusted adviser working from the sidelines. That same adviser, Horner notes, also left the group months after his own departure. Horner's tenure, which began when Red Bull entered the sport in 2005, included overseeing a run in which Max Verstappen won four successive drivers' titles from 2021 to 2024.
The series also revisits the controversy that shadowed Horner during his final years at the team: he was accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour by a female staff member, and internal legal-led reviews cleared him of wrongdoing on two occasions. Horner left the team in July after receiving an £80million package; the episode shows him reflecting on what was taken from him and how abrupt the end felt.
Beyond the immediate revelations, Horner's segment includes a note of reconciliation of sorts: he shares a private message he received from a long-standing rival in the paddock after the dismissal. The new season’s placement ahead of the 2026 calendar means these disclosures arrive as the sport prepares to move on to Australia for the new campaign.
Key takeaways:
- Season 8 presents Horner saying Verstappen and his family were not behind the sacking.
- Horner attributes his removal to a post-founder power struggle and names an adviser as influential.
- The series shows a personal kitchen-table moment with Geri Halliwell and revisits earlier controversies.
