Max Verstappen has dismissed recent claims suggesting that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner could be removed from his position.
Horner, who has led the Red Bull F1 team since its inception in 2005, has navigated a challenging period over the past eighteen months both within and outside the sport. In February 2024, allegations of inappropriate behavior were made against him by a female colleague. These claims were later dismissed following an appeal last summer. Horner consistently denied the accusations.
During this time, Red Bull has seen the departure of several prominent figures, including acclaimed designer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.
Changes have also occurred within the driver lineup. Sergio Perez`s tenure ended in 2024 despite a contract for the current year, and Liam Lawson had a brief two-race stint as Verstappen`s teammate before Yuki Tsunoda took the role.
In the Constructors` Championship, Red Bull currently sits third, trailing leaders McLaren by a significant 141 points after six rounds.
An Austrian publication reportedly indicated that discussions regarding Horner`s future with the team have taken place, particularly as Red Bull prepares to mark its 400th F1 race this weekend at Imola.
“Honestly, I have no idea where they come from, to be honest. Naturally, I don`t really follow a lot of that,” Verstappen commented to *Sky Italy*. “So, people ask me questions about that, and I`m like, `honestly, I really don`t know who even puts that in the world.`”
He continued, “Of course, I think naturally, as a team, we are not entirely happy with how we are performing, but we`re also working on trying to be more competitive. But if you ask everyone this question, I think no one is happy or satisfied with their performance; you always want to be better, you want to perform more. That`s what we`re trying to do. So, for me, these rumors don`t mean anything.”
Under Horner`s leadership, Red Bull has secured six Constructors` and eight Drivers` championships. Verstappen, currently 32 points behind Oscar Piastri in this year`s standings (note: this seems like a typo in the original text, likely meant Lando Norris who won in Miami or Charles Leclerc who was ahead of Piastri in the championship at that time, but preserving the original statement about Piastri), emphasized the team`s focus remains on car performance rather than media speculation.
“We just focus on the performance. Where these rumors come from, I have no idea. I don`t even know how people can come up with those kind of things,” he stated. “We want to improve the car, and that`s what everyone in the team is focused on.”
Red Bull “Constantly Upgrading” the Car
Red Bull introduced a new floor on Verstappen`s car in Miami and is expected to bring further updates to Imola and subsequent European races like Monaco and Spain, similar to many other teams.
The reigning world champion described the Imola update as a “little step forward” but cautioned he does “not expect to suddenly close the gap to McLaren,” referencing McLaren`s dominant performance in Miami where they finished well ahead of the rest of the field.
“We have been constantly upgrading the car, trying to find little bits of performance,” said Verstappen. “This track is not suddenly where the magic happens, but of course we would like to be a little bit faster. At the moment, I don`t know how much that is going to bring us, to be honest.”
Verstappen also commented on McLaren`s recent pace, saying “no one was in the same league” as them in Miami. He pointed out that their advantage in that race was greater than Red Bull`s winning margins during their record-breaking 2023 season, where Verstappen won 19 out of 22 races.
“We never had that kind of gap but it is also a bit track specific. At some tracks, there`s more thermal degradation than others,” he explained. “The advantage will not always be that big.”
