F1 News
Verstappen leaving Red Bull? Christian Horner doesn't rule it out!
Internal unrest within Red Bull Racing rose to great heights in Saudi Arabia. For the first time, Max Verstappen even spoke out that he would not possibly not stay at Red Bull if Helmut Marko had to step down. The latter will stay on, it became clear just before the Grand Prix. But Red Bull's problems are certainly not over yet. Jos Verstappen, for instance, reiterated that in his eyes Horner should still step down.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes' CEO and team principal, must be watching it all happen with interest. The Austrian would love to take over Verstappen from Red Bull, something that is therefore no longer unrealistic. Horner said of this to the media, after the race in Jeddah: "Look, I'm sure every team in the paddock would love to have Max. But, as Toto also said, the best drivers always want to be in the best cars, and so we're a team. Max has achieved his 56th Grand Prix victory today and his 100th podium, all of which have been in RBR cars. As a team, we perform exceptionally well together."
Horner does not rule out farewell to Verstappen
Horner certainly did not rule out a departure to Mercedes by his star driver: "You can never say never. If a driver doesn't want to be somewhere, then they'll go somewhere else. But as a team, I can't see any reason why anybody would want to step out of this team. I think he's got great support around him, and he's doing a wonderful job with a great car."
Horner also addressed his relationship with Marko. In recent days, the story was circulating that Marko would be suspended for leaking to the media about Horner. "I think the rumours about suspension were as news to the team as it was to anybody else. So we were quite happy. We were quite surprised to hear that. Helmut is contracted to Red Bull GmbH."
He continued: "It was an issue between them and we weren't part of that discussion. I've known Helmut since 1996. He's played an important role over the years. That role has evolved over the years. But I've known him a very, very long time. At 80, coming up 81 years of age, he's still obviously motivated about Formula 1, which is a positive thing."
Horner sees no problem in relationship with Verstappen
Max Verstappen made it clear on Friday that he did not want to continue without Marko. The following day, it was announced that the Austrian was staying on. Is that perhaps a sign of how big an influence Verstappen has? However, Horner does not want to exaggerate that: "Max, when he made the comments in support of Helmut. Of course, we have a very good relationship with Max, and we listen to whatever Max has to say. But the team will always make the right decisions for the team. Whether that's strategically, whether that's in a race, whether that's for the future, whether that's on an engine choice, on a sponsorship choice. The team will always do what is right for the team."
Horner stated that there are no problems in the relationship between himself and Marko. There is also nothing going on between him and Verstappen, according to the team principal. "It's absolutely fine with Max. He's working well within the team. There's no tension. There's no stress. You can see how relaxed he is around the garage with everybody in the team. And, you know, that's translating to his performance on track as well. So we don't see any issues with Max."