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Fresh reports coming out of the F1 paddock have suggested that "Team Max Verstappen" is now more at peace at Red Bull after former team boss Christian Horner has been removed from his role. This faction seemingly consists of Verstappen's father, Jos, and his manager, Raymond Vermeulen.
Max Verstappen was strongly rumored to be heading to Mercedes as early as 2026, up until the Belgian Grand Prix. Now, the rumors of him leaving Red Bull have somewhat cooled down. According to Dutch reporter Erik van Haren, the Dutchman is all set to stay put at Milton Keynes for at least another year now.
Now, a new report from Autosport has claimed that, based on noises from the F1 paddock, the so-called "Team Verstappen" is also more at ease at Red Bull after CEO and Team Principal Christian Horner was removed from his role.
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It was well known that Verstappen's camp was not exactly on the same page as Horner, especially ever since the Briton was accused of inappropriate behavior in early 2024.
Jos Verstappen was even confronted by former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg on Sky Sports' broadcast before the Belgian GP about his outspokenness against Horner. But the 53-year-old claimed his differences with Horner occurred over a year and a half ago, as he refused to comment on the situation any further.
Even van Haren, who is considered to be an insider of the Verstappen camp, previously claimed that Jos' influence in Horner's sacking could neither be overestimated nor underestimated.
Now, it is largely believed that Verstappen will stay at Red Bull for at least another season after 2025. After this, his future remains unknown, as the 4x world champion could still head to Mercedes or another destination in 2027, even though his current contract with the Austrian team runs until 2028.
Helmut Marko denies the existence of a "Max Verstappen faction" at Red Bull
Red Bull Racing senior advisor Helmut Marko has denied the existence of a "Max Verstappen faction" within the Austrian team's setup. In fact, the 82-year-old denied the existence of any kind of factions within the top management of the team.
Speaking about the internal dynamics of the Red Bull Racing management, Marko has claimed that the team works in total "harmony".
"There is no Verstappen faction, no Austrian or Thai faction. The entire company operates in harmony. Otherwise, the kind of success we’ve had, both commercially and on track, wouldn’t be possible," said Marko. [via Sky Germany]
It has been believed for a long time that the Red Bull management has been divided into two parts. The Thai faction, led by Chalerm Yoovidhya, who owns 49%, and the Austrian faction, led by Mark Mateschitz, who also owns 49%.
Red Bull GmbH managing director Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko are also believed to be part of the Austrian faction. Autosport has also reported that this faction is now believed to be reasserting its control over F1 operations after Horner's sacking. The 51-year-old was previously the main man at the Milton Keynes-based factory of the team.
