Christian Horner Breaks His Silence as Drive to Survive Replays the power shifts that ended his Red Bull era

The release of the latest season of Drive to Survive has pushed former team boss christian horner back into the conversation — not with a fresh allegation but with a rebuttal about who was responsible for his 2025 dismissal. With new footage and public comments now available, Horner frames his exit as the product of an internal power struggle after the team founder's death rather than pressure from Max Verstappen or his camp.

Christian Horner: why he says the timing and internal politics matter

Horner points to a chain of events that unfolded after the founder's death, arguing those corporate shifts changed the balance of power inside the group and ultimately sealed his fate. He stresses that the Verstappen camp was not responsible for his removal and rejects the idea that the move was engineered to secure a new contract for Max Verstappen.

Where the public statements arrive — and what was revealed

Speaking publicly for the first time about his departure in the newly released season of the documentary series Drive to Survive (released on Feb. 27), Horner described the sacking as sudden and emotionally painful. He said he felt a "real sense of loss and hurt" and that he did not get a proper chance to say goodbye. Horner said the decision was driven by the team's managing director, with an advisor giving guidance from the sidelines.

Key personnel, past achievements and the disputed period

Horner joined the race team in 2005 and led it to major success: eight drivers' championships and six constructors' titles. Under his stewardship, Max Verstappen won four drivers' titles, with coverage noting those titles were successive from 2021 to 2024. The 52-year-old left his roles as team principal and chief executive in July of last year after a controversial 18-month period that began when a female employee's allegation of sexual harassment became public in February 2024; he was cleared first after an internal investigation by a lawyer and again when an appeal was dismissed by a second lawyer. He departed with a £52m payout.

Fractures and departures inside the organisation

Horner has named the managing director and a long-time adviser as central to the decision to remove him, and references a wider political struggle inside the business following the founder's death in October 2022. The trusted motorsport adviser who had worked closely with Horner was later ousted as well, leaving a changed leadership landscape by the end of the 2025 season. Horner also recalls a public rift with the father of his lead driver, who had been outspoken about him and at one point stayed away from the paddock entirely.

Here’s the part that matters: Horner maintains that neither Max Verstappen nor Jos Verstappen were responsible for his exit, while other figures and structural shifts inside the company are presented by him as the decisive factors.

Rivalries, reputations and the emotional aftermath

Horner's tenure included high-profile tensions with rival team leadership during intense championship battles, most famously during the 2021 title duel. He also recounted receiving a personal message from that rival following his dismissal. It's easy to overlook, but the combination of long-running competitive rivalries, internal disputes and executive manoeuvring is the frame Horner offers for understanding why his departure happened the way it did.

• Horner joined the team in 2005 and served as team principal and chief executive until his dismissal in July of last year.
• Max Verstappen won four drivers' titles while Horner led the team; those titles are noted as successive from 2021-2024.
• The founder's death in October 2022 is cited by Horner as a turning point that shifted internal power dynamics.
• A sexual harassment allegation became public in February 2024; Horner was cleared twice during the subsequent process.
• Both Horner and a long-time adviser were removed by the end of the 2025 season; Horner left with a £52m payout.

Mini timeline

• October 2022 — the founder died, a moment Horner identifies as the start of shifting internal control.
• February 2024 — a sexual harassment allegation against Horner became public; two separate legal reviews cleared him.
• July (last year) — Horner was dismissed as team principal and chief executive.
• End of 2025 season — a long-time adviser who had worked closely with Horner was also ousted.
• Feb. 27 (release) — Horner's first public comments about the exit were shown in the latest season of Drive to Survive, an eight-episode season released ahead of the 2026 season in Australia.

The real question now is how the reassorted leadership and the public airing of these events will affect long-term relationships inside the sport; Horner's account places emphasis on internal corporate shifts rather than pressure from driver camps as the decisive cause.

Writer's aside: the sequence Horner outlines ties corporate succession and personal conflict together — that combination often determines outcomes in high-stakes sports organisations, even when public narratives focus on individual personalities.