Max Verstappen says Christian Horner exit won't influence his Red Bull future

New York Times

3 days ago

SPA, Belgium — Max Verstappen has said the departure of Red Bull Formula One chief Christian Horner will have no influence on any decision about his future with the team.
Red Bull announced three days after the British Grand Prix that Horner had been relieved of his duties after more than 20 years in charge of the team. No official reason was given for Horner's dismissal, but it came following a decline in Red Bull's form through this season, leaving it set for its worst championship finish in 10 years.
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Verstappen has led Red Bull's efforts throughout this season, scoring 165 of its 172 points, including victories at Suzuka and Imola against the quicker McLaren cars. But his hopes of defending his title look slim as he sits third in the standings at the halfway point in the season, 69 points adrift from Oscar Piastri.
The Dutchman has a contract at Red Bull through to 2028, but has been linked with a potential switch to Mercedes as early as next year. Toto Wolff, Mercedes' team principal, said last month there was 'very little probability' of Verstappen joining for 2026, but has referred to 'conversations' taking place.
Speaking to reporters at Spa on Thursday, Verstappen said the team shareholders had 'decided they wanted to steer the ship in a different direction,' and that he found out 'half a day' before the news went public two weeks ago.
When asked if Horner's exit would impact any decision to stay with Red Bull, Verstappen replied: 'No, it doesn't really.'
He added: 'I don't think it will matter at all for my decision in the future. The only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can make it, really.
'The last one-and-a-half years have not been what we want to be. Now we try and be more competitive this year a little bit, but for sure also with the new regulations (in 2026).'
Verstappen has stayed coy on his future, dodging opportunities at the Austrian Grand Prix last month to firmly state he would be racing for Red Bull next year. He again deflected a question about there being a decision to make on his future and the possibility he may not race for Red Bull next year, saying: 'There is also a possibility I don't wake up tomorrow! So then there is no driving at all. Life is unpredictable. But, in general, I'm very happy where I'm at. I hope … And that was still, the target that we set out when we signed the new deal, that I would drive here until the end of my career.'
Horner's sudden exit came after a turbulent 18 months at Red Bull, stretching back to an internal investigation after allegations of inappropriate behavior were made against Horner by a female member of staff in February 2024. The grievance was dismissed following the investigation, a decision later upheld on appeal. Horner had always denied the allegations.
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Verstappen's father, Jos, was publicly critical of Horner last year in the wake of the initial investigation, saying Red Bull risked being 'torn apart' if he remained in charge.
Verstappen still managed to win the drivers' title for a fourth consecutive year, but Red Bull missed out on the constructors' championship for the first time since 2021, ending the year third in the teams' standings.
Asked by The Athletic if he was surprised by Horner's exit, Verstappen said: 'At the end of the day, I think in this world, things like that, they can happen.
'And when (the shareholders) told me, it's not like they just said, 'This is what we just decided,' and then they hung up the phone, you know, you have a conversation about it. Now I don't need to go into detail what they said, but I said, 'OK, if you guys think that this is the way forward, I'm the driver, you decide,' and this is how we're going to do it.'
Horner's replacement is Laurent Mekies, who served as the team principal of Racing Bulls, Red Bull's sister F1 team, from the start of 2024, having previously held senior roles at Ferrari and the FIA, motorsport's global governing body.
Verstappen said he'd already had 'quite a few meetings' with Mekies and that he was excited to work with him, noting the Frenchman was 'incredibly motivated, and I like that. You can see the fire. Of course he's new in the role, but, yeah, it's exciting.'
Although Verstappen said that 'it doesn't make sense' looking at the past as 'it's not going to make you faster,' he did express appreciation for Horner's contributions to Red Bull.
He said their relationship was unchanged, and that they had spoken since his departure.'Of course, he's not here now during a race weekend, but it's still like a second family to me,' Verstappen said.