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Drive to Survive

Horner fires X-RATED insult at F1 rival as pre-season testing concludes

Christian Horner has resorted to name calling with a F1 rival

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 2 March 2025 09:57 Updated: 17:55

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been caught issuing an X-rated insult towards one of his Formula 1 rivals following the conclusion of pre-season testing.

The 2025 season got underway with three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, where long run analysis showed that McLaren have a slight advantage over their rivals.

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However, both Ferrari and Mercedes also looked competitive in testing, with both teams positive about the SF-25 and W16 respectively following the conclusion of running in Bahrain.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella not only predicted the 2025 season to be close between the top four teams, but also saw space for the likes of Williams and Carlos Sainz in the competitive order, naming them as ones to watch.

McLaren had the edge in pre-season testing

Ferrari reflected on a positive test in Bahrain

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Will McLaren hold the advantage in 2025?

McLaren find themselves the favourites heading into Melbourne, which comes as little surprise after they clinched the constructors’ championship ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull in 2024.

Now, Red Bull and McLaren’s championship showdown is set to receive the Drive to Survive treatment, as the docu-series released its season 7 trailer after testing concluded in Bahrain.

The new season of Drive to Survive will arrive on Netflix on March 7, with fans given a glimpse at the behind the scenes action from the 2024 season.

Christian Horner comes to blows with Zak Brown in Drive to Survive trailer

During the trailer, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is filmed on the phone saying: "let’s see if we can get him to crack", seemingly referencing Horner, whose tough 2024 is set to be covered in the most recent series.

The trailer was then edited in a way which showed Horner fire an X-rated insult to Brown, and said: “Zak is a pr***” as he stormed into his motorhome.