Transcript: Horner's last official press conference as Red Bull F1 boss
F1 NewsWednesday, 09 July 2025 at 17:39
Christian Horner’s final official press conference as Red Bull Racing Team Principal, held last Friday at Silverstone, now serves as a snapshot of a future he will no longer lead and provided no indication whatsoever he would be sacked.
During the presser, Horner outlined Red Bull’s strategic direction and detailed plans to integrate the team’s in-house power unit programme, and continue investing in young talent like Arvid Lindblad. Also, to build a structure capable of sustaining success into the next regulatory era, beginning in 2026.
Without having to answer questions about his own future, Horner expressed confidence in retaining Max Verstappen and spoke optimistically about the long-term stability of the team’s leadership and engineering vision. Horner positioned 2026 as the beginning of a new competitive cycle for Red Bull, referencing past eras of dominance and a continued push for innovation.
However, just days later, news of his sacking rendered those ambitions obsolete. What was intended as a briefing on Red Bull’s future under Horner now stands as a closing chapter in his 20-year tenure at the helm of the team.
Horner's last stand as Red Bull team boss
Below is the last transcript from the official FIA-hosted F1 team boss press conference on the Friday of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the scene of Horner's last stand.
Q:
CH: “I thought he acquitted himself very well. I mean, he's obviously another product of the junior team. He's a talented young guy, only 17 years of age. To jump into the car here at this circuit, which is a tough circuit, and be only within half a second, I thought he acquitted himself very well. His feedback was clear and concise, and yeah, he's definitely a prospect for the future.”
Let's start with Arvid Lindblad if we could. 22 laps for him in FP1, half a second off Max Verstappen. What did you make of his performance?
CH: “I thought he acquitted himself very well. I mean, he's obviously another product of the junior team. He's a talented young guy, only 17 years of age. To jump into the car here at this circuit, which is a tough circuit, and be only within half a second, I thought he acquitted himself very well. His feedback was clear and concise, and yeah, he's definitely a prospect for the future.”
Q: Now what about the updates? You had some new bits on the car in Austria last weekend. There's more new stuff this weekend. What was Max saying about it in FP1?
CH: “I think it's about you bolt the new bits on the car, obviously you then look to correlate them between your development tools and on track, and then it's a matter of tuning to optimise them. So, the guys and girls are going through that now. It was tricky out there. The wind here is particularly tricky and you can feel how gusty it is. So definitely quite a wind effect, but we got some very good data, some very good knowledge from that session. Now let's see how it comes to play in the session later on.”
CH: “I think it's about you bolt the new bits on the car, obviously you then look to correlate them between your development tools and on track, and then it's a matter of tuning to optimise them. So, the guys and girls are going through that now. It was tricky out there. The wind here is particularly tricky and you can feel how gusty it is. So definitely quite a wind effect, but we got some very good data, some very good knowledge from that session. Now let's see how it comes to play in the session later on.”
Q: And in terms of your championship ambitions this year, how defining is the British Grand Prix?
CH: “Well, we're at the halfway point. McLaren have done a super job so far this year. They've been very dominant. We've managed to win two races so far. We're a significant gap behind in the Drivers' Championship, so everyone has got to take an eye off that now and just focus on race by race. They're all sort of like FA Cup finals, so you’ve just got to try and optimize every single race and then the points tables tend to take care of themselves. But we're really not looking too far at the championship tables at the moment as opposed to individual races that are coming thick and fast.”
CH: “Well, we're at the halfway point. McLaren have done a super job so far this year. They've been very dominant. We've managed to win two races so far. We're a significant gap behind in the Drivers' Championship, so everyone has got to take an eye off that now and just focus on race by race. They're all sort of like FA Cup finals, so you’ve just got to try and optimize every single race and then the points tables tend to take care of themselves. But we're really not looking too far at the championship tables at the moment as opposed to individual races that are coming thick and fast.”
Q: Now what about Max to Mercedes? It's still the talk of the town this weekend. What has he said to you?
CH: “Look, there's obviously an awful lot of people talking about it, but what's most important is the relationship between the driver and the team. There's an agreement that defines that as well and everybody's very clear on where we're at. Max has been with Red Bull since the very start of his career. All his successes come in Red Bull Racing cars. He's a big part of our team and he has a great deal of faith in the team and the people around him. So, whilst there's always going to be speculation and noise, I think we all sit fairly comfortable with where we're at and what the situation is. We can't control the narrative of others but internally, we know where we're at.”
CH: “Look, there's obviously an awful lot of people talking about it, but what's most important is the relationship between the driver and the team. There's an agreement that defines that as well and everybody's very clear on where we're at. Max has been with Red Bull since the very start of his career. All his successes come in Red Bull Racing cars. He's a big part of our team and he has a great deal of faith in the team and the people around him. So, whilst there's always going to be speculation and noise, I think we all sit fairly comfortable with where we're at and what the situation is. We can't control the narrative of others but internally, we know where we're at.”
Q: Do you have a plan B in case he were to leave?
CH: “You know… Oscar Piastri. It's all as subjective as that. We're very focused on our current drivers and the relationship. Max has got a contract until 2028. He's made it quite clear that he would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car from start to finish. I think that's quite special and unique for him. That's what we're focused on. We're just ignoring the noise and focusing on the areas we know where we need to improve and how to do that.”
CH: “You know… Oscar Piastri. It's all as subjective as that. We're very focused on our current drivers and the relationship. Max has got a contract until 2028. He's made it quite clear that he would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car from start to finish. I think that's quite special and unique for him. That's what we're focused on. We're just ignoring the noise and focusing on the areas we know where we need to improve and how to do that.”
Q: (Ian Parkes – RacingNews365.com) You talk about the speculation and noise around Max, but Max over these past two weekends has fuelled that himself. He's twice been asked directly, ‘will you be at Red Bull in 2026?’ On both opportunities, he’s decided not to nail his colours to the Red Bull mast. So can you just clarify, will Max be at Red Bull in 2026?
CH: “Look, the contracts between the drivers and the teams are always going to remain confidential. With any driver's contract, there is an element of a performance mechanism, and of course that exists within Max's contract. His intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026. It's inevitable that he's of huge interest to any other team in the pit lane. Actually, probably George triggered all this speculation, probably trying to leverage his own situation and force clarity, which you can understand because he's driven a very good season as well this year. But inevitably, there will always be speculation about it. I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team, and that's very clear.”
CH: “Look, the contracts between the drivers and the teams are always going to remain confidential. With any driver's contract, there is an element of a performance mechanism, and of course that exists within Max's contract. His intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026. It's inevitable that he's of huge interest to any other team in the pit lane. Actually, probably George triggered all this speculation, probably trying to leverage his own situation and force clarity, which you can understand because he's driven a very good season as well this year. But inevitably, there will always be speculation about it. I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team, and that's very clear.”
Q: (Jake Nichol – RacingNews365.com) Would George be a realistic candidate should Max decide to leave, in a direct swap potentially?
CH: “Well, it's remarkable that George is still on the market. We haven't engaged in any discussion with George. So, he's obviously pretty confident that he's going to get to retain where he is. But look, we've got strength in depth within our team. You can see the Racing Bulls drivers, you can see Lindblad that we're running today, and '26 is going to be a transformational year. It's the biggest rule change in Formula 1 probably in the last 50 years where both chassis and power unit are being introduced at the same time. Nobody, with hand on heart, can know what the pecking order is going to be. It could be either one of these gentlemen either side of me. It could be Ferrari. It could be Mercedes. It could be anyone. There's an awful lot of subjectiveness to 2026, and it'll only be really this time next year that you'll have a clear indication of what that pecking order is. So, there are no guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be a better proposition.”
CH: “Well, it's remarkable that George is still on the market. We haven't engaged in any discussion with George. So, he's obviously pretty confident that he's going to get to retain where he is. But look, we've got strength in depth within our team. You can see the Racing Bulls drivers, you can see Lindblad that we're running today, and '26 is going to be a transformational year. It's the biggest rule change in Formula 1 probably in the last 50 years where both chassis and power unit are being introduced at the same time. Nobody, with hand on heart, can know what the pecking order is going to be. It could be either one of these gentlemen either side of me. It could be Ferrari. It could be Mercedes. It could be anyone. There's an awful lot of subjectiveness to 2026, and it'll only be really this time next year that you'll have a clear indication of what that pecking order is. So, there are no guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be a better proposition.”
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Are you looking outside of the Red Bull pool at all when you think about that second seat?
CH: “Obviously, our priority will be to look at what we have within our pool of talent. Yuki has got until the end of the season to demonstrate that he's the guy to remain in the car. We have Isack also doing a good job and Liam finding his form as well. So, within the Red Bull pool, we have talent. But of course, you're always open to what is outside of that. We want to field the best line-up that we can for next year. We've gone outside of that pool in recent years. If we feel the necessity to do so, we wouldn't be afraid to do so again.”
CH: “Obviously, our priority will be to look at what we have within our pool of talent. Yuki has got until the end of the season to demonstrate that he's the guy to remain in the car. We have Isack also doing a good job and Liam finding his form as well. So, within the Red Bull pool, we have talent. But of course, you're always open to what is outside of that. We want to field the best line-up that we can for next year. We've gone outside of that pool in recent years. If we feel the necessity to do so, we wouldn't be afraid to do so again.”
Q: (Scott Mitchell – The Race) Have you looked at the situation McLaren's in and thought that if there's two drivers butting heads there, that could be an opportunity for you to swoop for one of them in the future?
CH: “I think we've always taken a position of respecting the contracts that drivers have with their existing teams. They've got two great drivers. They're pushing each other hard, and they're managing to maintain a healthy relationship, which is always a significant challenge when you've got two very competitive drivers fighting for the ultimate prize in Formula 1. But every team is different. I wouldn't expect either of those guys… why would they be wanting to step out of what currently is the fastest car at the moment? That's the way it goes when you're at the front of the field and leading the pack. So, I'd be astounded if there was any change to what they've committed to.”
CH: “I think we've always taken a position of respecting the contracts that drivers have with their existing teams. They've got two great drivers. They're pushing each other hard, and they're managing to maintain a healthy relationship, which is always a significant challenge when you've got two very competitive drivers fighting for the ultimate prize in Formula 1. But every team is different. I wouldn't expect either of those guys… why would they be wanting to step out of what currently is the fastest car at the moment? That's the way it goes when you're at the front of the field and leading the pack. So, I'd be astounded if there was any change to what they've committed to.”
Q: (Leonid Kliuev – Grande Premio Brazil) Is there a possibility of Red Bull becoming less centralised?
CH: “Well, look. I think every team structure is different. The role of a team principal in different teams, whilst the job title carries the name, the definition of the role is very different. McLaren have activities in IndyCar, in sports cars, across a whole host of different activities. At Red Bull Racing, I have a clear structure that reports into me, similar to probably Andy does or Toto Wolff does, where you have the main faculties that report into me. Pierre Waché probably performs 80% of the role that perhaps Andrea does at McLaren. It's just a different job title, different functions, different set-up. It's a set-up that's worked incredibly well for us on track and off track. We have a very tight senior management, a very strong structure. We got strength in depth. We don't feel, and I certainly don't feel, that there's a need to change or tune it. Of course, you're always tuning as an organisation and optimizing, but our structure, the way it is positioned, is very, very clear.”
CH: “Well, look. I think every team structure is different. The role of a team principal in different teams, whilst the job title carries the name, the definition of the role is very different. McLaren have activities in IndyCar, in sports cars, across a whole host of different activities. At Red Bull Racing, I have a clear structure that reports into me, similar to probably Andy does or Toto Wolff does, where you have the main faculties that report into me. Pierre Waché probably performs 80% of the role that perhaps Andrea does at McLaren. It's just a different job title, different functions, different set-up. It's a set-up that's worked incredibly well for us on track and off track. We have a very tight senior management, a very strong structure. We got strength in depth. We don't feel, and I certainly don't feel, that there's a need to change or tune it. Of course, you're always tuning as an organisation and optimizing, but our structure, the way it is positioned, is very, very clear.”
Q: (Niharika Ghorpade – Sportskeeda) If it were to come to pass where Max were to leave for any other team, how detrimental is it towards Red Bull as a camp and going into the future?
CH: “Well, of course, Max is a key part of our team and has been for pretty much ten years now. The intention is to keep that going. But one day, whether it's the year after or the year after, there will be a day that there is no more Max. You always have to have that in mind, that the team always has to keep looking and investing in the future. Hopefully that won't be for several years to come, but you never know. So, you're always investing in young talent, you're always giving opportunities like we did today with Arvid Lindblad, to see the next generation coming through. Because one thing for sure in this business, nothing stands still.”
CH: “Well, of course, Max is a key part of our team and has been for pretty much ten years now. The intention is to keep that going. But one day, whether it's the year after or the year after, there will be a day that there is no more Max. You always have to have that in mind, that the team always has to keep looking and investing in the future. Hopefully that won't be for several years to come, but you never know. So, you're always investing in young talent, you're always giving opportunities like we did today with Arvid Lindblad, to see the next generation coming through. Because one thing for sure in this business, nothing stands still.”
Q: Would it be a similar impact to when Sebastian Vettel left the team?
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