Max Verstappen reveals frequent Christian Horner messages during stunning F1 title charge

Max Verstappen has revealed he was in frequent contact with former Red Bull boss Christian Horner during his stunning late charge for the F1 title.

Horner was sacked by Red Bull in July after the British GP, with Verstappen then finding himself 69 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, with this growing to 104 after Piastri's win and Verstappen's second-place at Zandvoort.

However, across the final nine races with new boss Laurent Mekies in charge, Verstappen roared to six wins, a second and two thirds, plus a Sprint win in the United States to fall just two points short of the most remarkable F1 title comeback, being defeated by Lando Norris as Piastri wobbled to finish third.

Since leaving, Horner has kept a relatively low public profile and has not publicly commented on grands prix or Verstappen's charge, but the four-time champion has revealed the frequent contact he and his former boss had right up until the Abu Dhabi finale. 

"Things weren't going well within the team in terms of results, and there was a bit of unrest, and when things aren't going well for a while, it's the shareholders who want to see change," Verstappen told Viaplay. 

"Ultimately, it's just difficult because you've built up a bond with Christian and achieved so much together, especially those moments in 2021, which you'll never forget. 

"Christian ultimately went through fire for me, and things like that are difficult when you talk to each other on the phone."

When asked if the two were still in contact five months on from Horner's sacking, Verstappen gave a firm yes. 

"Every week, during every race on Friday, Saturday and Sunday," the Dutchman continued.

"He sends me messages, for example, but we also keep in touch during holidays. It's more about him saying: "I wish you the best of luck, and I believe in you. I'm your biggest fan, blah blah, but also about what we've all been through.

"In those kinds of situations and beyond, you also talk about things other than racing. We are in contact every race weekend, even after his dismissal."

Despite the turnaround in form for Red Bull post-Horner, the 71-time grand prix winner was also cautious not to disparage his former boss.

"I want to be careful about how I express that, I don't want to disparage Christian, because he has obviously achieved a great deal in the team, and others have yet to achieve that," he said.

"He also brought people into the team who helped us achieve this, and when things aren't going well, you see changes happening in other sports too."