Christian Horner faced a ‘politically impossible’ scenario with Max Verstappen just before his Red Bull sacking

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Christian Horner was relieved of his team principal duties following a 20-year stint with Red Bull Racing in which he oversaw the development of the team from the very beginning.

The 51-year-old was immediately dismissed just days after the British Grand Prix and at a time when reports were appearing about Horner’s unwillingness to defer responsibilities at Red Bull.

Several theories about why Christian Horner was given the sack have since emerged, with Max Verstappen’s potential desire to race elsewhere being one of them.

Another theory is that the development of Red Bull Powertrains’ new F1 engine was showing poor performance in the preliminary benchmark tests ahead of its introduction to the grid, in line with the upcoming regulation changes.

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Christian Horner was facing a lose-lose situation with Max Verstappen and the new F1 engine development

The differing theories have split the F1 world, with Dutch commentator Nelson Valkenburg being the latest to offer his opinion on why Red Bull parted ways with the Brit.

Speaking with journalists from The Race, Valkenburg started, “I kind of disagree with the premise that a lot of people, or let’s say the equation that a lot of people made, is that this is to keep Max. I have a hunch this may make it easier for both parties to separate.

“I think what we’re looking at with Red Bull is one of those Premier League football teams where all the strong players have been bought away and there’s just a shell left. That’s a huge disservice to the race team, but a lot of big names have left.”

Only a handful of key personnel from Red Bull and Max Verstappen‘s record-breaking 2023 season, which saw the team win all but one Grand Prix, remain.

Rob Marshall, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley are among the names of the crucial staff members who have left the Austrian constructor since the start of the 2024 season, the same season in which Red Bull started to show some vulnerabilities out on track.

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Losing Max Verstappen and tumbling down the F1 grid would have been ‘politically impossible’ for Christian Horner

Part of the reason the team are showing such vulnerabilities now is down to the fact that Red Bull are still struggling to fill the ‘void’ left by the departures, whilst the other teams benefit from their talent.

Valkenburg goes on to explain that even if Christian Horner was successful in retaining the four-time world champion at Red Bull, there is still no guarantee of success due to the upcoming changes to the power unit.

“If Max leaves, I know there’s a perception that the team will implode and points-wise, they might,” he continued.

“But, if he stays and that car isn’t as competitive as it needs to be, then that team will explode, and Christian Horner would never have been able to keep Max Verstappen or to keep his position within Red Bull after he lets Verstappen go.

“That would have been politically impossible for Horner.”

Much has been said about what Horner will do next in F1. He is currently in talks with his former employers over a payout which could be in excess of £50m.

There have also been links tying Horner to a role at Ferrari or Alpine, or even rumours of him ‘putting together a consortium’ and buying a majority share in an F1 team instead, due to the phenomenal growth of the sport in recent years.