Red Bull Crisis

Max Verstappen's team 'want answers' from Red Bull over Christian Horner sacking

Kerry Violet Friday 11 July 2025 18:57 Updated: 11:12

christian horner, max verstappen, raymond vermeulen, red bull racing, 2024

Max Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen has pointed to Red Bull for answers following the shock sacking of their F1 team principal, Christian Horner.

The man who led Red Bull to 14 drivers' and constructors' titles combined during his 20 years in the sport was abruptly axed by the Milton Keynes-based team on Wednesday.

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Verstappen's future is arguably now more up in the air than ever before as rumours swirl over the reason for Horner's dismissal and whether Red Bull's star driver, his manager or his father had anything to do with the change in management.

Following the news that Horner had been dropped as Red Bull CEO and team principal with immediate effect, Vermeulen issued a brief statement.

"We had been informed in advance by Red Bull's management that this decision had been taken."

"It is up to Red Bull to give a further explanation, as to the rationale. We continue to look at the sporting side and are looking for more performance so that we can return to the top. In that respect, nothing will change," he declared.

Max Verstappen is set to announce his future F1 plans later this year

Did the Verstappens play a role in Horner's F1 exit?

Red Bull's four-time champion took to social media after Horner's sacking to pay tribute to his former team boss, thanking him for the success they shared together in the sport.

However, Sky F1's Martin Brundle is among the pundits speculating that Verstappen's team did play a role in having Horner removed from his job with Red Bull after a tumultuous year.

Both on and off the track, Horner faced difficulties, with his F1 team sitting fourth in the constructors' standings halfway through the 2025 season.

Rivals McLaren look set to claim their second consecutive title in the team standings, now 238 points clear of second-place Ferrari.

So, with the papaya outfit settling in as the new top team, perhaps Red Bull simply decided a change was overdue?

Alternatively, there could be truth to claims from Germany that Team Verstappen wanted Horner to either leave or have his powers reduced, but either way, it looks as if Vermeulen won't be adding fuel to the fire on the topic anytime soon.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Raymond Vermeulen