Christian Horner’s 2027 comment about Max Verstappen catches fresh attention

Did Christian Horner send an understated message to the Max Verstappen camp to hold off on making any moves until after the F1 2026 pecking order becomes clearer?

That’s a theory proposed by Ted Kravitz on a recent episode of The F1 Show podcast centering on Horner’s sacking.

Ted Kravtiz’s Christian Horner 2027 theory

Just after the conclusion of the 2025 British Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing made the shocking call to terminate CEO and team principal Christian Horner with immediate effect.

While the team has not provided a clear explanation for exactly why it did so, many seem to believe that it is a stop-gap measure designed to prevent star driver and reigning champion Max Verstappen from moving to a different team ahead of the F1 2026 season.

Rumours have linked Verstappen with one of the two open seats currently on offer at the Mercedes F1 team. Many also believe that Verstappen’s family and management group have been displeased with the leadership of the team under Christian Horner, with father Jos Verstappen in particular having suggested that Horner should have been fired in early 2024 due to alleged transgressions with a female employee.

In a recent episode of The F1 Show, Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz, though, had a compelling theory about the future based on a conversation he had with Horner on the Friday of the British Grand Prix weekend.

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“I think 2027 is really interesting, isn’t it?” Kravitz pondered.

“The best guess — and we should stress that — is that by doing this, by getting rid of Christian, Oliver Mintzlaff and Red Bull have bought themselves Max Verstappen’s services for 2026, for next year. The best guess is that.

“Something that Christian said to me on Friday after the team bosses’ press conference now comes back into my mind where I said to him, are people — and by that I meant the Verstappen camp — guilty sometimes of worrying about something in Formula 1 that they don’t know is definitely going to happen? And do they just need to see what happens and then make a decision?

“And he latched on to that immediately. He was like, ‘yes, yes, absolutely. The people need to see there is no guarantee that the Mercedes is going to be a best place to be next next year.

“‘We don’t know that. We don’t know that our engine’ — he didn’t say this, but he’s paraphrasing —  ‘we don’t know that we’re going to be struggling with our engine. There’s nothing to say which car is going to be good in 2026.’

“And then he said, ‘so, I think what people need to do is to see what happens next year, and then they can decide for 2027,’ and then I thought, well, hang on, hasn’t Max got a contract till the end of ’28?

“So why is Christian effectively tacitly saying that, look, you know, a message to Max: ‘Just hang on a sec. Let’s see what 2026 brings. And then we can talk about 2027.’

“And if we think then George Russell is right in saying he thinks it’s very slim chance he won’t be a Mercedes driver in 2026, is this all about a game about 2027?”

Kravitz seems to be referring to a conversation between himself and Horner that was aired on Sky Sports.

In that chat, Kravitz asked, “How can you assure Max that it’s not going to be a drop of competitiveness next year, and he doesn’t have to worry about anything?”

“Absolutely no guarantees for any team or any engine manufacturer that can, hand on heart, say that they are significantly ahead of any other manufacturer,” Horner responded.

“Who knows what the pecking order will be?

“I think 2026 represents the biggest regulation change with both chassis and an engine in probably the last 50 years of Formula 1.

“Now, Max is probably the most in-demand driver; he’s the best in the world. He is absolutely, unequivocally, the best driver.

“When you think of it objectively, ’26, staying where he is, he’s gonna have all those options, you know? It won’t be just with one team. It will be with all of the teams for 2027, and it’s down to us to demonstrate that we’re on the right trajectory, that we’re performing, we’re progressing, and that Red Bull is the right place for him to be longer term.

“His desire, and he’s said it numerous times, is to finish his career in a Red Bull car, from start to finish. And I think if he sees that there is that potential, then I don’t see why that isn’t achievable.

“But of course, he’s also hungry to achieve more wins, more titles, that his talent deserves.

“So I think it’s more about 2027 than perhaps about 2026.”

On The F1 Show, Kravitz continued his theory, saying, “And if then Mintzlaff and the people at Red Bull are thinking, ‘Okay, we bought Max’s services for next year; that’s confirmed by doing this, by getting rid of Horner,’ in 2027 they could lose Verstappen and Christian Horner, and then be in an even worse place.”

It’s certainly an interesting conundrum to ponder; Horner is absolutely correct in asserting that there’s no way to guarantee success after the introduction of a new regulatory set. Many major personnel changes have shaken up the F1 grid over the past few months, and the incoming car changes will be a whole new curveball.

Horner seems to have been implying to Kravitz that Max Verstappen would be best served sticking it out with a known entity in 2026, to see where the field shakes out in terms of performance. Should he still be dissatisfied, then Verstappen could begin negotiating with 2026’s top teams for a shot at finding a strong seat for 2027.

It’s an interesting spot from Kravitz — but will it have any impact on the current silly season negotiations? That remains to be seen.

Read next: How Red Bull controls Max Verstappen’s future and why he can’t leave