Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 analyst Martin Brundle revealed the personal message that Christian Horner sent to him after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix.
Horner was replaced with immediate effect as Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal on 9 July by Racing Bulls team chief Laurent Mekies after a 20-year stint with the team. His exit came on the back of several high-profile exits and a slump in performance, made worse by McLaren’s current dominance in the 2025 season, although the reason for his replacement has not been officially confirmed.
Verstappen’s win at Monza marked the first win for the Milton Keynes outfit since Horner’s departure.
“A message from Christian Horner here actually,” Brundle said during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, “saying, ‘This was our worst race last year. We had the wrong downforce level,’ and how hard the team have worked on that package and done a great job. Of course, they’ve turned it around.”
The four-time champion secured the win after starting from pole position and held a comfortable lead over the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who finished second and third.
“Yeah, it was a great day for us. Of course, that one was a bit unlucky but then after that, we were flying, the car was really enjoyable. I could manage the pace quite well. I think we pitted at the right time, then with the hard tyres at the end, you can push a bit more, they’re a bit more resilient.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto via Getty Images
“Just a fantastic execution by everyone, by the whole team. I think the whole weekend we were on it, and it’s super enjoyable to win here.”
He added: “I could see that immediately the pace is quite good, I just needed to settle in. There was a lot of fighting going on, and then I could see the pace was there, and quite quickly we were back in the lead.”
F1 now heads to the Baku City Circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 19-21 September.
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