Martin Brundle shares what Christian Horner told him immediately after he was sacked by Red Bull

Martin Brundle has revealed what Christian Horner told him immediately after he was sacked by Red Bull.

Christian Horner was fired by Red Bull after serving as its Formula 1 team principal and CEO for 20 years.

He helped the team achieve some spectacular results in that time, but his tenure came to an end on July 9 with immediate effect.

Former racing driver Martin Brundle has now revealed what Horner said to him after his dismissal.

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What Christian Horner said to Martin Brundle

The news that Horner had been dismissed from his role with Red Bull sent shockwaves through the F1 world.

“Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today,” the team’s parent company Red Bull GmBH said in a statement.

Horner expressed his sadness about his departure on Instagram, where he described it as a ‘privilege’ to ‘lead this epic team’.

“It’s been an honor to be part of this incredible era of motorsport. I leave with immense pride in what we’ve achieved and also with what’s in the pipeline for 2026,” he wrote.

As of yet, no reason has been given for his departure.

And according to Martin Brundle, no reason was given to Horner himself.

Appearing on Sky Sports News, Brundle revealed that he had reached out to offer his condolences.

“I put a message through to him to say, ‘Sorry to read that’,” the 66-year-old said.

“In fact, I said to him, ‘Can we have a chat before I have to go on TV?’ because I want to know more about it from his point of view.

“We weren’t able to do that. But what he did say to me was that no reason was given to him as to why he was being released.”

Brundle speculated that the decision came from Max Verstappen considering a move to Mercedes for 2026.

“I think it’s not completely out of the blue given the things that are going on and the problems in the team, the words you’re getting out of Team Verstappen and others.

“I’m quite sad about it if I’m honest,” he said

20 years of F1 success has come to an end

“I consider Christian a friend and he’s done an incredible job there for 20 years, won an awful lot of races and world championships – for drivers and the team – and he took it from what was the Stewart team, through Jaguar,” Brundle concluded.

Horner will be replaced in his position by Laurent Mekies, CEO of Racing Bulls.

It’s a logical choice – Mekies is already part of the company and knows the sport well.

But Horner’s departure marks the end of an era for Red Bull F1.

With him at the helm, Red Bull F1 won six World Constructors’ Championship titles between 2010 and 2025.

More importantly, Horner’s ‘reign’ coincided almost exactly with Adrian Newey’s tenure.

Adrian Newey, the most successful chief engineer in F1, left just over a year ago.

Still, this looks like it could be the end of an era for Red Bull F1, which is currently trailing behind McLaren both in the drivers’ standings – behind both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – as well as in the constructors’ standings.

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