David Coulthard’s Max Verstappen verdict backfires as Christian Horner is sacked as Red Bull team principal

Follow us on Google Discover

Christian Horner has parted ways with Red Bull Racing after two decades in charge.

It comes after a double-header of F1 races at the Austrian and British Grand Prix, where Red Bull were outscored by Sauber, leaving them with very little chance of winning either championship.

Red Bull chiefs were unimpressed at the Austrian Grand Prix, and that appeared to be the beginning of the end for Christian Horner.

Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda both failed to score points at the Red Bull Ring, but would have been keen to turn that around at Silverstone.

Verstappen once again showed his quality by putting his Red Bull on pole position, while a power issue on his final flying lap denied Tsunoda a spot in Q3.

However, a set-up error with Verstappen’s car subjected him to a tricky race in the rain at Silverstone, while Tsunoda once again finished last.

David Coulthard immediately reacted to the race result and thought Verstappen’s post-Grand Prix comments might be positive for Horner.

Unfortunately, it turns out Horner was sacked by Red Bull just a few days later.

READ MORE: Know all about Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth to wife

David Coulthard saw Max Verstappen’s British Grand Prix comments as positive before Christian Horner sacking

Talking in his post-race interview, as relayed by Channel 4, Verstappen explained: “I was a bit all over the place! That was basically the problem, it was unpredictable, very difficult balance and very difficult to keep the car on the road, as you can see.

“I mean, we still did the right things with the strategy, but just low grip, my moment, and also the pace was just not good enough, really.

“But we recovered as much as we could, and that was P5.”

He was then asked if he was angry considering how he managed to put the car on pole position the day before and continued: “I’m not angry, it’s another race done, we move on to the next.”

When asked about the championship, Verstappen explained: “Oh no, it’s not on my mind at all!”

“Just approach it race-by-race and every race you try to do the best you can,” Verstappen admitted when talking about his goals for the rest of the season. “Some will be better than others, and yeah, that’s it.”

Responding to the Dutchman’s comments and whether Horner will be concerned about his answers given Verstappen has been linked with a move to Mercedes, Coulthard explained: “I don’t think so.

“I think we all know Max enjoys driving cars and everything else; he’s got no interest in.

“So, that’s actually a polite Max answering the questions as quickly as he can, so he can get to the debrief and then get home to his newborn baby.

“He’s a conservationist when it comes to giving more than he really needs, and by the time he’s done that interview, he’s chilled, calmed down, got changed, he’s not raw anymore.

“So, there’s angry Max when he’s in the race car, and then there’s that Max, I haven’t won today. He’s done a lot of winning in the past.”

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Could Max Verstappen leave Red Bull after Christian Horner’s Red Bull sacking

Coulthard was sure after the race at Silverstone that Horner had nothing to worry about when it came to Verstappen’s future following his comments.

However, nobody saw the veteran team principal losing his job despite Red Bull falling behind McLaren and failing to find a suitable teammate for Verstappen.

Mercedes have been keeping their options open to sign Verstappen, with neither George Russell nor Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured for 2026.

There have previously been suggestions that one of the conditions for Verstappen to stay at Red Bull was Horner’s departure, and it will be interesting to see how the driver market develops in the coming weeks.

The break ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix is now going to be critical for new team principal Laurent Mekies to understand what’s been going wrong at Red Bull and what can be improved immediately.