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Max Verstappen 'refused' to publicly back Christian Horner before Red Bull sacking

Christian Horner has been removed from his roles as chief executive and team principal of Red Bull Racing after an illustrious 20-year tenure to send shockwaves through the world of Formula 1

[Christian Horner speaks with Max Verstappen]

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Christian Horner has been let go after a 20-year tenure with Red Bull(Image: Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Max Verstappen failed to publicly back Christian Horner last year amid a Formula 1 scandal involving the now-former chief executive and team principal of Red Bull Racing. The 51-year-old, who'd headed up Red Bull's operations since January 2005, found himself put under the microscope last February when the team confirmed he was facing an investigation concerning inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague.

While Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing after an examination by an external lawyer, the saga erupted once more when the messages allegedly sent by him were leaked to a host of journalists. At the time, Jos Verstappen publicly criticised Horner for the situation he found himself in.

Max's dad said: "It cannot continue this way. The situation is not good for the team and is driving people apart. He is playing the victim when he is the one causing problems."

However, his son took a different approach to his father, refusing to comment on matters despite reports suggesting that he had been approached by Mohammed Benn Sulayem to back the team principal. The BBC at the time said that it had independently verified that the FIA president had asked Max to publicly endorse Horner, with whom he had shared a close relationship since he teamed up with Red Bull in 2015.

However, it appears as though Max was caught between a rock and a hard place, considering the influence of his father on his career. He was quizzed about the situation after securing a pole position start for the Bahrain Grand Prix last year, with a series of questions pertaining to how the allegations had affected preparations and whether Horner remained the right man to lead the team.

To which, he replied: "From my side, and, from the mechanics and engineers, were fully focused on the car, and fully focused on the weekend which is how it should be and that is what we continue to do. Its not our business to get involved in that. We are paid to do our job, that is what we are out there doing, and that is what we love doing and that is what I focus on."

Max was then asked if he still held faith in Horner, responding: "When I look at how Christian operates within the team he has been an incredible boss so from the performance kind of things you cant question that. I speak to Christian a lot and he is fully committed to the team.

[Christian Horner works]

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Horner's departure comes a year on from his sexting scandal(Image: Getty Images)

"He is here for the performance, and of course he is a little bit distracted, but we just focus on performance and that is how we all work together."

Fast forward 16 months and confirmation of Horner parting ways with Red Bull landed on Wednesday. A spokesperson for GmbH, who are Red Bull's parent company - told Mirror Sport: "Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today. Laurent Mekies has been promoted from Racing Bulls to replace him as CEO."

Oliver Mintzlaff, who is the chief of Red Bull's sporting projects, added: "We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years. With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history."

[Laurent Mekies looks on]

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Laurent Mekies has been promoted(Image: Getty Images)

Horner has been Red Bull's only team leader since they bought the struggling Jaguar F1 team back in November 2004, subsequently recruiting him to help evolve RB into the fierce force it is on the grid today. On stepping up in replacement, Mekies said: " The last year and a half has been an absolute privilege to lead the team with Peter [Bayer, Racing Bulls CEO].

"It has been an amazing adventure to contribute to the birth of Racing Bulls together with all our talented people. The spirit of the whole team is incredible, and I strongly believe that this is just the beginning. Alan [Permane] is the perfect man to take over now and continue our path. He knows the team inside out and has always been an important pillar of our early successes."

Permane has been promoted to team principal of Racing Bulls after previously serving as sporting director. He added: "I feel very honoured to take on the role as team principal and would like to thank Oliver [Mintzlaff] and Helmut [Marko] for the trust they have shown in me.

"I am looking forward to working with Peter to continue the good work that both him and Laurent have done in taking this team forward. This is a new challenge for me, but I know that I can count on the support of everyone within them."

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