Martin Brundle has seen a vital change in Max Verstappen ever since Red Bull sacked Christian Horner

Follow us on Google Discover

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen narrowly missed out on winning a fifth consecutive championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite a monumental comeback during the second half of 2025.

Lando Norris was crowned champion at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a thrilling three-way battle for the drivers’ championship.

No driver has ever come from more than four race victories back in the standings to win a title, but Max Verstappen came perilously close, finishing on the podium at each of the last 10 races.

Verstappen outscored both McLaren drivers from the British Grand Prix onwards, which coincides with the moment Red Bull decided to sack Christian Horner.

Christian Horner played a crucial role in Verstappen winning four consecutive titles between 2021 and 2024.

However, Martin Brundle believes there was a fundamental change in the way that Verstappen acted during race weekends after his exit.

It might have explained why Verstappen was able to close the gap to Norris and Oscar Piastri so quickly.

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

Martin Brundle says Max Verstappen was ‘a lot more relaxed’ after Christian Horner’s sacking

Brundle was previewing the final race of the season on Sky Sports F1 (7/12 11:49 am).

Speaking about Verstappen, he said: “The team had momentum, of course, I think we’ve got to pay some respects to what Christian Horner did from building the team to that point.

“I observe Formula 1, that’s my job. I think Max has been a lot more relaxed since that happened, because there was all of the tension, his dad was firing in all sorts of things, and Max was constantly being asked questions about it.

“And I think that, along with them beginning to energise the aerodynamics on the car and getting a smell of victories and championships, and they’re just taken off.

“So, I think there are many, many factors to that, and I know Max stays in touch with Christian quite a lot on it, but that was a pivotal point in his year.

“As was, running into George and I always say, you can’t cherry-pick the bits you like of great sporting champions, they come as a package, don’t they?

“And when Max gets the red mist as he did that day, it cost him 11 points.”

“Of course it was [deliberate], and he admitted it in the week. He said, I shouldn’t have done that. Yeah, he was angry. He was driving angry.”

READ MORE: Who is Christian Horner? All you need to know from Red Bull to net worth

How Christian Horner could still impact Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 future

Horner might not be in the paddock right now, but the 52-year-old is aiming to make a return to Formula 1 in the future.

Despite Red Bull’s incredible comeback during the second half of this year, everything could be different in 2026 when F1’s regulations change.

If Red Bull are no longer competitive next year, then Verstappen could consider his options.

Verstappen sent a message to Horner before the race in Abu Dhabi, but it’s yet to be seen whether the pair will work together again.

There have been suggestions that Verstappen wouldn’t join Aston Martin if Horner ended up at the Silverstone-based team due to previous friction between their camps.

That might play on Lawrence Stroll’s mind if he does think about working with the former Red Bull boss once again.