Christian Horner is confident that Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull until the end of his current contract in 2028, despite rumours tying him to Mercedes following Jos Verstappen’s heated altercation with the team principal.
Horner has continued to deny any wrongdoing despite being cleared of an investigation into ‘inappropriate and domineering behaviour’ by a female Red Bull employee who has been suspended from the team.
However, the subject continues to dominate Formula One headlines at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and Horner was questioned if he expects Verstappen to complete his contract with the team.
“I’m confident he will; he has a fantastic team behind him,” Horner told the Saudi media. “He has immense faith in that squad. And, you know, we’ve accomplished a lot together, so he’s committed to an agreement until 2028.
“I am definitely aware of the comments that were made. There was a debate following the race, and I believe everyone is focused on the future.
“The team’s primary focus is on defending both of these global titles that we’ve worked so hard to get, as well as Max’s three consecutive world titles to build on. “He has 55 victories, and our team has 114 victories, tying Williams for the most grand prix victories.”And from Max’s perspective, we’re determined to build on the success that we’ve already achieved, and those 55 victories have all come in Red Bull cars, as have all of the podiums, and we’re determined to, you know, build on that and hopefully many more in the future.
“So we’re highly focused on the future. And, as I mentioned, negotiations took place after the race in Bahrain, and we’re all looking forward.”
Following the Bahrain Grand Prix, Jos Verstappen openly called for Horner to leave Red Bull, only to later reveal that he had a disagreement with the team leader earlier in the weekend and had apologised.
He is not in the paddock in Saudi Arabia, but that hasn’t stopped the gossip mill, with reports of conversations between Verstappen’s representation and Mercedes, with the Dutchman free to quit Red Bull if Helmut Marko leaves, despite signing a deal until 2028.
Jos is clearly trying to push a ‘Horner goes or Max does’ storyline, but the reigning triple world champion has always stated that he wants to remain in the car that provides him the best chance of winning in Formula One.
Will Horner remain at Red Bull?
Red Bull and Horner hoped that the issue would be resolved before a wheel was turned in fury at the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, the story shows no signs of dying down as vehicles take to the track in Saudi Arabia, with Lewis Hamilton blasting Red Bull’s lack of transparency in handling the situation.
Hamilton also expressed disappointment with his opponent team and urged everyone in the sport to take responsibility for their actions.
However, it is uncertain what the next step will be if Max Verstappen does not push a move. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem met in Bahrain to discuss their next steps in the case, but no further details have been announced.
Ben Sulayem also has off-track difficulties to contend with, as an anonymous whistleblower has accused him of reversing Fernando Alonso’s penalty in the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, resulting in a podium finish for the Spaniard, and pressing officials not to certify the Las Vegas GP course.
Leave a Reply