14/07/2025 09:15
Max Verstappen defended former Red Bull boss Christian Horner's
management of the team, days before he was sacked. Horner was
dismissed after 20 years at the helm of Red Bull on Wednesday, July
9th, but claimed that no official reason had been given after a
brief WhatsApp exchange with Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle.
Horner, one of the most successful team principals in F1 history
with 124 race wins and 14 championships in total, was removed from
"operational duties" by Red Bull GmbH in Austria, with Racing Bulls
boss Laurent Mekies assuming his responsibilities as the new Red
Bull team principal and CEO. Under Horner, Red Bull had been
unable to arrest an alarming slide in performance which began in
mid-2024, with Verstappen winning only two races in the final 14
after seven victories from the first 10. This came after the
crushing 2023 season in which Verstappen won 19 of 22 races,
shattering a host of F1 records in the most dominant season of
all-time. Speaking six days before Horner's sacking, Verstappen
defended the management of the team during the performance slide.
"It is always easy to say when things are going well, you say: 'Oh,
the management is working,'" Verstappen told media, including
RacingNews365. "If you asked the question back in 2023, what is
the best way, you would say: 'Red Bull is doing great, so
everything is working well. "So it is easy [to blame the
management], but it is something I don't think is negative. "The
balance issues this year have been a bit better, but in some areas
we are a little bit weak, and in low-speed corners, we are not that
good. "Particularly in the medium speed, that is where McLaren is
really strong and we are not able to match that."
