Christian Horner has publicly stated he does not believe Max Verstappen was "in any way" responsible for his abrupt removal as Red Bull team principal last year.
Horner, who was relieved of his duties in July, halfway through the Formula 1 season, formally departed the team in September after two decades at its helm.
In his most detailed comments on the matter to date, set to feature in the upcoming Netflix documentary Drive To Survive, Horner attributes the decision to Red Bull company chief executive for corporate projects and investments, Oliver Mintzlaff, and then-Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko, rather than Verstappen and his father, Jos.
"His father has never been my biggest fan. He’s been outspoken about me but I don’t believe that the Verstappens were responsible in any way. I think this was a decision that was made by Oliver Mintzlaff with Helmut advising from the sideline," Horner explains.
He added: "I think ultimately things changed within the business, within the group. The founder died (Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who died in 2022), and after Dietrich’s death I think probably I was deemed to have maybe too much control."
At the time of Horner's departure, Verstappen had not yet committed to staying with Red Bull beyond 2026, a decision he made weeks after Laurent Mekies took over as team principal.
Marko had previously voiced public concerns about Verstappen's future and the potential for the four-time world champion to leave Red Bull due to a performance-related clause in his contract. Marko himself announced his retirement in December.
Mekies subsequently oversaw an improvement in Red Bull's form during the latter half of the season, which saw Verstappen take his ultimately unsuccessful title defence to the final race before McLaren's Lando Norris secured the championship.
Reflecting on his exit, Horner expressed a profound sense of loss. "I feel a real sense of loss and hurt. It was all rather sudden. I didn't really get a chance to say a proper goodbye," he says in the Netflix series.
"I've had something taken away from me that wasn't my choice, that was very precious to me."
Horner's removal came more than a year after he faced allegations of misconduct towards a team employee.
An investigation commissioned by the Red Bull company dismissed the allegation, as did a subsequent investigation following an appeal by the employee, Red Bull confirmed at the time.
Horner remained in charge of the F1 team throughout the entire process.
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