Christian Horner’s explosive reactions to last year’s texting scandal have been revealed in upcoming Netflix footage.
The Red Bull team principal is shown making explicit comments about his Formula 1 rivals in the new season of Drive to Survive.
In the footage, Horner calls McLaren chief Zak Brown a “p***k” and celebrates a race victory as “the best way to f*** them all”.
The candid behind-the-scenes moments capture Horner’s unfiltered response to one of F1’s biggest controversies of 2024.
Christian Horner was rocked by a texting scandal last year
Netflix/PA
The footage, set to premiere on March 7, shows Horner’s raw emotions during the height of the scandal.
“You find out who your friends are, don’t you?” Horner is heard saying on a Netflix microphone.
He then bluntly states: “Zak’s a p***k – I’ll get through it.”
Following Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s one-two finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Horner declared it was “the best way to f*** them all”.
“Shut the f*** up,” he added, in an apparent message to his critics.
The scandal erupted in early 2024 when Horner faced an investigation for alleged “coercive behaviour” towards an unnamed female employee.
The allegations were later dismissed following an internal inquiry.
Christian Horner reacted angrily after the news of the allegations surfaced
Netflix
Just one day after being cleared, a cache of leaked texts and photographs purportedly between Horner and the colleague were shared with journalists and F1 figures.
The anonymous leak sent shockwaves through the paddock but Red Bull’s hierarchy stood firmly behind the 50-year-old team principal throughout the controversy.
The employee’s appeal against the initial inquiry was dismissed in August.
In the Netflix footage, Horner reflects candidly on the challenges he faced during the scandal.
“The higher you rise, the sharper the knives,” he tells the camera.
“I’ve reached the top of my game and I never thought in a million years I’d have a challenge like this in my career.”
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Horner also addresses what he believes was the motivation behind the controversy.
“It was obvious that the end goal was for me to leave Red Bull,” he states.
When asked if he knew who leaked the texts, Horner reportedly responded with silence and a smirk.
Geri Halliwell, Horner’s wife and former Spice Girl, also appears in the Netflix footage.
She is seen sharing a car with her husband in one scene where they appear to be discussing the scandal.
Halliwell flew to Bahrain for the opening race of the season to support Horner.
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Christian Horner survived the allegations and remains in charge of Red Bull
Reuters
Their joint appearances came during a period when there were reports of tensions between them related to the controversy.
The seventh season of Drive to Survive will be released on Netflix this Friday, March 7.
Despite the off-track turmoil, Red Bull’s performance remained largely unaffected during the early stages of the 2024 season.
Max Verstappen won seven of the first ten races of the campaign.
The controversy didn’t derail Red Bull’s championship aspirations, with the team securing a dominant one-two finish at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
This on-track success allowed Horner to respond to his critics through results rather than words.