Horner: 'I have 16 other drivers who want that seat'

The situation surrounding Christian Horner finally seems to be calming down, but now other influential people within Red Bull are the subject of discussion. Helmut Marko would be suspected of leaking information about Horner and would be suspended by Red Bull for this reason. Max Verstappen is so loyal to the 80-year-old advisor that he did not rule out his own departure from the team if Marko had to leave. After a good conversation with two CEOs of Red Bull, it was decided that Helmut Marko can stay with the energy drink manufacturer.

'You can't force Verstappen to stay'

Horner has remained calm under all the rumours and speculation. This is because, according to him, it is not possible to force anyone to stay with the team. "Are we certain that all's well and that nobody's leaving this team, whether it's Helmut or Max? Look, we're focused on winning, and that's what we do well. That’s what we've done today. That's how we've started this season, and I think that obviously, I'm aware of all the noise that has distracted the team from the job. We are one team now. I think the speculation about Helmut is speculation about Helmut. Now, Helmut doesn't work for me. He doesn't work for Red Bull Racing, He works for Red Bull GmbH. But, I think you can see that there's a very clear route that he's looking forward to and he wants to continue this incredible winning streak that we've been on."

Not even a strict contract can stop someone from leaving a team. "Well, look, it's like anything in life. You can't force somebody to be somewhere just because of a piece of paper. If somebody didn't want to be at this team, then, you know, you're not going to force somebody against their will to be here. And that applies whether it's, you know, a machine operator or a designer. Or somebody in one of the support functions. That runs through the business. Being involved in a team like this involves commitment and passion."

This commitment and passion is something Max Verstappen has, according to the British team principal. "And Max has that. We've seen that. He's been here since he was 18 years of age. I do not doubt his commitment and passion, going forward. But, that's the way. That's very much the way it is. Now, we have a phenomenal car. And we've got one seat open for next year. I've probably got 16 drivers that are desperate to be in that car for next year, and Checo is in pole position. It's his seat to lose. So, I think that we have a strong relationship with Max, he's doing a wonderful job. His focus is very much on what he's doing on track, and that's where our focus is."