Max Verstappen reveals friendship surprise with axed Red Bull boss Christian Horner

Max Verstappen has made surprising revelations about the extent of his ongoing relationship with Christian Horner, disclosing that the pair remain in weekly contact despite the Briton's sacking six months ago as Red Bull boss.

After 20 years in charge since Red Bull's inception, Horner was axed following a poor first half of the season, in which results were sporadic, and the team had slumped to fourth in the constructors' championship.

After the British Grand Prix in early July, when Horner was dismissed, Red Bull found itself 288 points behind McLaren.

Four-time F1 champion Verstappen can understand the Red Bull board's desire to implement change, particularly after the personal allegations made against Horner 17 months previously by his personal assistant, which resulted in two investigations.

"Things weren't going quite well within the team in terms of results, and, of course, there was also a bit of unrest," said the Dutch driver in an end-of-year interview with Viaplay.

"And when things don't go well for a while, it's the shareholders who want to see change. They just didn't like the way things were going. In the end, they made the choice to make that change and put Laurent Mekies forward."

Verstappen did not shy away from explaining the personal impact of the management reshuffle, particularly given the friendship he had forged with Horner during their success, not least in winning his maiden championship in 2021.

"It is difficult, because you have built a bond with Christian and achieved so much," said Verstappen. "Especially those moments in 2021. Of course, you never forget them.

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

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Perhaps most surprisingly, Verstappen revealed the remarkable frequency of their continued communication. When pressed about whether contact persists, he replied: "Still every week, during every race on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

"He texts me, for example, but we also stay in touch during holidays. He knows everyone in the team, but it's more about him saying, 'I wish you the best of luck, I believe in you. I'm your biggest fan, etcetera...'

"But also about everything we've already experienced. You discuss those kinds of things. Outside of that, you also talk about things other than racing. So we're in touch every race weekend, even after his dismissal."

Despite suggestions that the leadership transition brought improvements to Red Bull's performance, with Verstappen winning six of 10 grands prix after the summer break, the 28-year-old was cautious in his assessment.

"I want to be careful how I express that," he said. "I don't want to criticise Christian, because he has obviously achieved a lot in the team, and others still have to try to achieve that.

"Horner also brought people into the team that enabled us to achieve this [success]. And that change then comes. You see that in other sports, too, when things aren't going well."