Mistakes under Christian Horner 'broke' Red Bull

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Mistakes under Christian Horner 'broke' Red Bull

Horner was axed as Red Bull team principal halfway through 2025.

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 1 January 2026 21:03

Raymond Vermeulen, the manager of four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, reflected on mistakes under Christian Horner's leadership that 'broke' Red Bull.

Red Bull parted ways with former team principal Horner during the summer last year, after a dismal start to the season spoiled Verstappen's chances of fighting for a fifth world title.

Horner held the role at the helm of Red Bull F1 team since their inception and after 20 years in the job, was deemed incapable of picking the squad up from the slump they found themselves in after the first half of the 2025 campaign.

Article continues under video

Up until last summer's race at Silverstone, Red Bull had failed to get their driver duo correct, swapping Liam Lawson out for Yuki Tsunoda as Verstappen's team-mate after only the first two race weekends of the year.

To further compound the struggles of Horner's outfit, Verstappen had consistently bemoaned the performance of the RB21, only managing to take home two grand prix victories across the first 12 races.

Verstappen's incredible 2025 season

Following the conclusion of the 2025 championship, Verstappen's manager shared his thoughts on the season which was a tale of two halves for the 28-year-old.

“This season has been a work of art by Max,” Vermeulen told Formule 1 Magazine.

“He managed to turn the year around. At the beginning, we had a few very bad weekends with the Red Bull Racing team, and those broke us at the end.

“But if you turn it around, McLaren made a lot more mistakes...with that car, Norris should have become champion much earlier.”

The manager of the four-time champion then also noted that Verstappen now appears to be finally getting the treatment he deserves after proving himself last year.

“We’ve noticed that Max is now getting the international recognition he deserves,” he added.

“His performances this season have really captured the imagination.

“We have been saying for some time that he is an exceptional talent on four wheels...but what he has shown this season, given the circumstances, is phenomenal, and it’s great that everyone can now see that.

“Was this season better than 2023, when he won 19 of 22 races? He has had to come a long way this year,” he pondered, posing the question that many others have after the most impressive comeback of Verstappen's career.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Raymond Vermeulen