Christian Horner tells Martin Brundle he’s forgetting one vital thing about Red Bull amid Canadian Grand Prix grilling

Red Bull and Christian Horner have had to contend with some negative publicity during the 2025 season. It started after just two races when they remarkably dropped Liam Lawson.

After a reasonable start, Tsunoda is ‘getting worse and worse’ alongside Max Verstappen. Thus, the speculation over the infamous second seat at Milton Keynes has quickly restarted.

But it’s not as if the unwanted headlines have been confined to one side of the garage. Verstappen has an exit clause in his contract, and there are ongoing whispers that Red Bull could lose him.

In the short-term, his title ambitions are under threat after falling 49 points behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. And to compound matters, Verstappen is at risk of a race ban after reaching 11 penalty points for a controversial clash with George Russell in Spain.

Finally, Horner’s future has been called into question. There are simultaneously those who say he could lose his job as a result of Red Bull’s regression from their 2022/23 heights, and those who say Ferrari are interested in hiring him.

Christian Horner points out that only Red Bull and McLaren have won F1 races in 2025

Amid the furious succession of rumours around Red Bull, team staff may justifiably feel that their achievements are overlooked. They’re fourth in the constructors’, but only 21 points behind Ferrari in second.

Verstappen’s margin to Piastri is daunting but not insurmountable. If the RB21 stays even close to the MCL39 in performance, he can’t be ruled out.

And as Horner pointed out in an interview with Sky Sports at the Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull are the only McLaren rival to pick up victories (Japan and Emilia Romagna) and pole positions this season.

“Do you enjoy Sky F1 after FP1 talking to us?” Martin Brundle asked. “Do you enjoy coming and talking to us? There will be a time where we can say, ‘Great victory there Christian!’

A smiling Horner replied: “Only two races ago Martin! We’re the only people other than McLaren to have won a race this year! I hope you’re giving the others [i.e. his fellow team principals] just as much grief as you give me!”

The one moment Christian Horner regrets during his Red Bull career

Horner has overseen more than 400 races, delivering 14 combined championships. The longer he survives the tumult, the stronger his position appears.

The 51-year-old has recently been reflecting on his 20-year spell at the Austrian company. Horner says Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel are his top two drivers, but he gave honourable mentions to Daniel Ricciardo and David Coulthard.

Asked whether there were any moments he’d change, Horner expressed regret over the 2005 US GP. Red Bull were among the teams to boycott the farcical race over tyre concerns.

Returning to the present, the growing uncertainty over Fred Vasseur means he’s in for plenty of questions about a move to Italy this weekend. He’s done his best to quash the story, with reports suggesting Horner would only join Ferrari if he was given unprecedented authority.