Max Verstappen's true feelings on Christian Horner axe as they still speak 'every week'

Max Verstappen says he still has a close bond with former Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner despite the Brit being axed by the team last summer. After 20 years in charge of the team, Horner was removed from his roles as chief executive and team principal after the British Grand Prix in July, before agreeing a lucrative exit package several weeks later.

An official reason for Horner's departure was never given, though it came after 18 months of internal conflict which began when Horner was accused by an employee of the team of inappropriate behaviour. He denied the allegation and was cleared of any wrongdoing by to separate independent KCs brought in by the Red Bull parent company to investigate.

But it put Horner under extreme pressure and his opponents within the organisation used it as an opportunity to strike. He and long-serving team adviser Helmut Marko eventually agreed a ceasefire after months of hostilities, though Verstappen's father Jos - the most vocal critic of Horner - never gave up on his ambition to see the Brit ousted.

After that eventually happened, the team's results began to improve. A significant upgrade introduced at the Italian Grand Prix, but which was begun while Horner was still in charge, made the car much better to drive and helped star racer Verstappen to put together an outstanding run of results which saw him miss out on the title by just two points in the end, having been more than 100 behind.

But while his father went to war publicly against Horner, Verstappen has maintained a strong relationship with his former boss. Speaking to Dutch broadcaster Viaplay, he admitted: "Things weren't going very well for the whole team. In terms of results, there was a bit of unrest in the team and when things haven't been going well for a long time...

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"In the end, the shareholders also wanted change because they weren't happy with how things were going either. Ultimately, it's always difficult. You've built up a bond with Christian and achieved so much - especially in 2021, those moments too. You'll never forget that. Christian really went through fire for me. Those kinds of things are always difficult when you talk to each other on the phone."

Asked how often he does so, Verstappen went on to confirm that he is in very regular contact with his old boss. He added: "Every week, every race. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday and usually via text message. But also on holiday, for example. Every week.

"Of course he knows everyone in the team, but it's more about, 'I wish you good luck' and, 'I believe in you' - biggest fan. What we've all been through. But also, 'You know you can do it.' All that kind of stuff. Outside of that, of course, you talk about things other than racing too. Yes, every week. Every race weekend."