Horner reveals panic attacks and questions ‘brutal’ Red Bull exit

Speaking to The Guardian, the former team principal also described his disappointment with Helmut Marko in the days before his dismissal, addressed speculation linking him with Ferrari and explained why ownership would be central to his preferred return to the sport.

However, while the interview offers a more personal account of his exit, Horner maintains that he was never given a clear explanation for Red Bull’s decision to remove him in July 2025.

One of the most striking disclosures concerns Horner’s experience of panic attacks. He described initially struggling to understand the symptoms, which included dizziness and an increased awareness of his breathing.

“I didn’t know what it was. You suddenly feel dizzy and conscious of your breathing and you think there’s something strange going on,” he told The Guardian.

Horner initially attributed the episode to coffee and oppressive weather. When it happened again, he sought medical advice and was told that anxiety could be responsible. He said he can now recognise the symptoms and manage his breathing.

His departure from Red Bull also prompted questions about his sense of purpose outside the team. Horner reflected on how closely a person’s identity can become tied to their work, particularly after spending so many years building and leading an organisation.

He also praised Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff for speaking openly about depression, setting aside their sporting rivalry to acknowledge the importance of discussing mental health.

Horner explained that the immediate aftermath of his sacking was dominated by a family bereavement rather than his professional future.

His former partner, Beverley Allen, the mother of his daughter Olivia, had died from cancer shortly before Red Bull removed him. Supporting his daughter became his priority, and he said it took around a month before he began processing the loss of his job.

That shaped his reaction to the timing and manner of the dismissal. Alongside the pain of leaving the team, he acknowledged a degree of relief after a difficult final period in charge.

Horner had led Red Bull since its arrival in Formula 1 in 2005. Leaving meant not only losing his position but also stepping away from colleagues and projects in which he had invested much of his working life.

The interview also contains a pointed detail about Horner’s relationship with Red Bull's long-serving advisor Helmut Marko, who has since left the team.

“Helmut could be blunt and I was disappointed he’d stayed as a guest of our family two days before [Horner’s sacking] with no indication this was coming,” Horner said.

Asked whether Max Verstappen or his father, Jos, were partly responsible for his departure, Horner rejected that interpretation and instead pointed to changes in Red Bull’s leadership following the death of company co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.

He suggested that concerns about the concentration of authority under his leadership may have played a role, but stopped short of presenting that as a confirmed explanation.

In the interview, Horner also sought to clarify his position after comments about Ferrari being a dream job prompted speculation about a move to Maranello.

He said those remarks had been taken out of context and explained that his preferred next step would involve an ownership stake. He claimed to have significant capital behind him for a potential project, although he did not identify investors or announce an agreement with any team.

For now, Horner is prepared to remain outside Formula 1 rather than accept a role simply to return to the paddock. He also acknowledged that he might never work in the championship again.