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Max Verstappen has dismissed suggestions that Christian Horner’s dismissal from Red Bull will have any bearing on his future with the team. Speaking to the media ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, the Dutchman also denied any personal or family involvement in the decision to part ways with the team principal, who had been in the role for two decades.
Speculation had mounted that Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, who had a strained relationship with Horner, may have played a role in pushing for the Briton’s exit. Some reports even suggested the Verstappen camp issued an ultimatum tying the champion’s future to Horner’s departure.
Max Verstappen refuted those claims, stating that while disagreements existed, having different viewpoints within a team is a healthy aspect. He emphasized that Horner’s exit does not influence his own career decisions and reaffirmed that his current focus remains on improving the car’s performance and competing at the front.
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Asked if his father Jos’s relationship with Horner was the reason for the dismissal, Max replied (via Motorsport):
“No, it doesn't really. I think people can have a difference of opinion here and then, and I actually expect that to happen because if everyone always agrees there is a problem. You need to have difference of opinions.”
Asked if the Horner dismissal meant he would continue at Red Bull Racing for 2026, he added:
“I don't think it will matter at all for my decision in the future, and the only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can. 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.”
Max Verstappen will hope to return to winning ways at the Belgian GP this weekend.
Max Verstappen explains the process of Christian Horner being sacked from Red Bull
Max Verstappen further revealed that Red Bull’s senior management and key stakeholders had informed him a day before Christian Horner’s dismissal from his role as team principal and CEO. The four-time world champion described such abrupt decisions as part of the norm in Formula 1, stating that it was a leadership call in which he had no influence.
Reflecting on Horner’s two decades at the helm, Verstappen praised the Briton’s contributions, crediting him for Red Bull’s long period of success. He acknowledged that the post-Horner era marks a new chapter for the team, and emphasized that everyone within the organization must now align with the new direction being set.
Explaining how he was informed about Christian Horner’s dismissal, Max Verstappen said:
“Half a day before, the shareholders told me. I have a good relationship with them, so I think it's quite normal that they inform some people in the team, before it goes out. At the end of the day, I think in this world things like that can happen. And when they told me it wasn't like they just hung up the phone, you have a conversation about it. I don't need to go into detail what they said. Management and the shareholders decided that they wanted to change and at the end of the day they run the team and I'm the driver, so whatever they decide it's fully their right to do what they want, and that's basically how it happened.”
Verstappen further praised Horner's impact at Red Bull over the last two decades.
“At the same time, you look back at those 20 years of Red Bull, I think we've had a lot of great years, great results. Now, naturally of course there are also years where it's not going that well and I think the last one and a half years have not gone how we would have liked. And management decided they wanted to steer the ship in a different direction, probably. And then everyone else has to anyway agree to that and look forward,” Max Verstappen said.
Max Verstappen has yet to confirm any plans to leave Red Bull or switch to Mercedes. While Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has expressed his intent to continue with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, this could suggest that Verstappen may remain at Red Bull.
However, with no official contract announcements from Mercedes, speculation around Verstappen’s future is expected to persist over the next two race weekends. Currently third in the driver’s championship, the Dutchman is steadily losing ground to his McLaren rivals, as Red Bull faces mounting pressure to improve the RB21 in time to stay competitive.
