Christian Horner did something ‘incredible’ in front of British Grand Prix fans days before losing Red Bull job

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Christian Horner carried out almost all of his duties as normal at the British Grand Prix last weekend. Just days later, Red Bull announced that he’d been sacked.

Horner was supposed to be interviewed by UK broadcasters Sky Sports after the first practice session, but that appearance was cancelled. He did then feature in the team principals’ press conference and visit the media pen.

After Sunday’s race, Horner addressed Max Verstappen on the radio in routine fashion, and carried out his customary debrief with the press. There was, in short, no obvious sign of what was to come.

In the context of Red Bull’s recent problems, Horner’s departure shouldn’t be a surprise. But the timing has caught observers off guard, even if there’s a short break in the season before the next race in Belgium.

Gary Anderson condemns Christian Horner’s language at F1 fan zone before Red Bull axe

Horner was booed at the F1 75 launch event in London shortly before the season started. But that didn’t dissuade him from going up on stage at the British Grand Prix fan zone.

The Race’s Gary Anderson was positioned nearby, and he could hear Horner repeatedly using bad language. Anderson felt this was unacceptable with so many children in the crowd.

But the former F1 designer wonders if this was a sign that he ‘knew about his future’. He had the sense that something was amiss.

“I was at Silverstone last Friday when Horner went on the public stage,” Anderson said. “I was sitting with Edd Straw [a colleague at The Race] doing my trackside piece and could hear him; it was in front of everyone, the swearing was incredible.

“There were kids there and I said to Edd, ‘There is something going [on] down there – that is not the language a team principal should be using’. Perhaps Horner knew about his future then.”

‘Nothing will change’ – Max Verstappen’s camp respond to Christian Horner exit

According to Martin Brundle, Horner wasn’t given an explanation when Red Bull imparted their decision. But it may well have been linked to the possibility of losing Max Verstappen.

For the team’s shareholders, losing the Mercedes target is unthinkable. Clearly, they feel that sacking Horner was necessary to preserve their long-term ambitions.

Verstappen’s manager still won’t confirm whether he’ll stay for 2026. ‘Nothing will change’ as they continue to push the team for ‘more performance’.

There have been moments in the past two decades where Horner has appeared invincible. But even he can’t compete with Verstappen in terms of his perceived value to the team.