Christian Horner's most memorable Drive To Survive scenes following Red Bull sacking

Christian Horner has been sacked as Red Bull's CEO and team principal after spending two decades at the helm of the F1 team, and has admitted this news has come as a "shock" to him.

As the longest-serving team principal in the sport, Horner's 20 years at the team since its inception back in 2005 saw them win their first world championship in 2010, with Sebastian Vettel going on to win the title four years in a row (2010-14).

A period of Mercedes dominance then followed, but Red Bull later made their way back to the top of the podium with Max Verstappen, who won his first world championship for the team in 2021 during a controversial final race showdown with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

Following this, Red Bull's success continued, as the team won 21 of the 22 races held in 2023, with Verstappen achieving a record-breaking 10 consecutive victories.

  Max Verstappen and Christian Horner pose for a team photo as they celebrate after the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 02, 2024 in Bahrain, Bahrain. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

But alas, Red Bull's performance has dwindled as of late, as this season they currently sit in fourth place in the constructors’ standings, while Verstappen has won just four races out of the last 26, and he sits in third in the driver's championship - 69 point sbehind current leader McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Last year, Horner was caught up in the texting scandal where he was accused of “inappropriate, controlling behaviour” by a female colleague in February 2024, something he has strongly denied.

Horner - who is married to Spice Girl singer Geri Halliwell - was cleared twice of these allegations.

At the time, Jos Verstappen, Max's father, told Mail Sport that the team was "in danger of being torn apart" if Horner carried on as team principal amid the scandal, but he continued to lead the team up until he was sacked this week.

Red Bull has confirmed Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies has been promoted to CEO of Red Bull following Horner's exit.

"After 20 years with the team, Christian Horner departs Oracle Red Bull Racing as team principal and CEO,” Red Bull said in a statement.

  Sebastian Vettel (L) of Germany and Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium with his Team Principal Christian Horner (R) after winning the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 22, 2012 in Sakhir, Bahrain.Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

"We thank him for his tireless and exceptional work. He has been instrumental in building this team into one of the most successful in F1, with eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ Championships.

“Thank you for everything Christian, you will forever remain an important part of our team’s history.”

What has Christian Horner said?

A clip of Horner's farewell speech to Red Bull's 1,500 staff members at their Milton Keynes campus leaked, where the 51-year-old appeared emotional about his departure.

“Yesterday, I was informed by Red Bull that operationally, I will no longer be involved with the business for the team,” he said in a video obtained by Sky Sports News.

"The decision came as a shock to myself. I have had a chance to reflect over the last 12 hours and I wanted to stand in front of all of you to break this news, and just express my gratitude to each and every single member of the team that has given so much during the 20-and-a-half years that I have been here.

"When I arrived 20 years ago, with a few less grey hairs, I walked into a team and I didn’t know what to expect but I was immediately welcomed. We then started to build what became a powerhouse in Formula One. Watching and being part of this team has been the biggest privilege in my life," he then had to pause as his voice broke, and staff members then gave him a round of applause.

In an Instagram post, Horner also reflected on his time at Red Bull as he wrote, "After an incredible journey of twenty years together, it is with a heavy heart that today I say goodbye to the Team I have absolutely loved.

"Every one of you, the amazing people at the factory, have been the heart and soul of everything that we have achieved. Win and lose, every step of the way, we have stood by each other as one and I will never forget that. It’s been a privilege being part of and leading this epic Team and I am so proud of our collective accomplishments and you all."

What has Max Verstappen said?

Max Verstappen also took to Instagram with a post of the two hugging and a message for Horner on his departure. He shared, "From my first race win, to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records. Thank you for everything, Christian!"

Why did Christian Horner leave Red Bull?

Since the news broke, there has been plenty of speculation as to why Horner was sacked as Red Bull team principal in the middle of the season.

Red Bull hasn't commented on nor confirmed the reason for Horner's sacking, but the team has struggled with performance this season, with Verstappen winning two out of the 12 races in the RB21 so far, as McLaren continues to dominate. Then there's the so-called "cursed second seat", which has seen driver swaps that have failed to match up to Verstappen's results.

Sergio Perez left Red Bull at the end of the 2024 after a difficult season and was replaced by Liam Lawson. However, the Kiwi driver only lasted two races before being swapped out for Yuki Tsunoda, who has scored just seven points in the 10 grand prix he's raced in since moving up from sister team Racing Bulls.

Horner's key moments on 'Drive to Survive'

No doubt, Horner's departure from Red Bull will be covered by the popular F1 Netflix series Drive to Survive since Horner has been a big character over the seasons, known for his expletives, his beef with rival team principals and ultimately his determination to win.

Here are some of his key moments on the show:

Telling Mercedes' team principal Toto Wolff to 'change your f***ing car'

In what has to be one of the most iconic DTS scenes, we see Horner and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff have it out with one another.

Horner famously told Wolff, "If you've got a problem, change your f***ing car," to which Wolff replied, "Then you change your car because Checo's [Perez] been saying the car is f***ed."

"No, he hasn't! Speak to my drivers," Horner answered back.

But Wolff insisted, "Checo has been on the record," as the then-Red Bull gestured, "Then let's go and get him."

"I have it. I have it printed out," Wolff added, as Horner sarcastically responded, "Very good."

Perez would later struggle with the Red Bull race car and he later departed from the team after a challenging 2024 season, and so you could say this clip has aged well for Wolff...

F1 fans have also gone viral by posting videos of themselves hilariously lip syncing to the argument.

Tensions with then-Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul over Riccardo's shock move

After coming up in the Red Bull junior team, racing for Red Bull's sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri) for two seasons and then being a Red Bull driver for five seasons (2014-2018), Daniel Ricciardo shocked F1 fans when he decided to leave Red Bull and race for Renault (now Alpine).

Ricciardo's big move prompted an awkward interaction between Horner and then-Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul.

"He [Ricciardo] needs a driver and an engine," Abiteboul told Horner as he laughed.

"...Yeah," Horner simply responded.

After an awkward silence, Horner then remarked, "So have you got any money to spend on your engine now you've spent it all on your driver?"

To which Abiteboul replied, "We've got plenty of money."

"Selling Sunset or some s*** like that"

You can always rely on there being plenty of celebrities attending F1 races, and in this case, Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim can be seen greeting and wishing good luck to Horner ahead of the race.

"Are they footballers?" one of Horner's colleagues asked.

To which Horner bluntly answered, "Uh no. Selling Sunset or some s*** like that."

This transition

No explanation needed for this transition where Horner is clay shooting, as it then shifts into fireworks from a night race.

“I wish he'd shut the f*** up," seemingly referring to Lewis Hamilton

Horner made his feelings abundantly clear about Hamilton achieving his seventh title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix back in December 2020.

“I feel like I’m just getting started," Hamilton said.

This prompted Horner to seemingly utter towards Hamilton, "I wish he’d shut the f*** up."

He added, "How many times do we have to watch this s***”, as Hamilton could be seen lifting the drivers’ title trophy.

Calling McLaren CEO Zak Brown "f***ing annoying"

When McLaren won the Constructors' title at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (the team's first since 1998), CEO Zak Brown told his driver Lando Norris in a radio message, "That was simply lovely," a catchphrase Verstappen often uses, taking a jab at their Red Bull rivals.

It then cuts to an unimpressed Horner, who says, "Zak is f***ing annoying."

And a "p****"

  - YouTube  youtu.be  

In the trailer for season seven of the DTS, the team rivalry is well and truly alive as Horner declared about the McLaren CEO, "Zac is a p****."

Elsewhere, There's no better time to be a female F1 creator and fangirl - here's why, and Max Verstappen on shifting gears to take on drifting challenge.

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