Verstappen reflects on Horner’s Red Bull exit as he insists it has ‘no influence’ on future

Max Verstappen has denied that Christian Horner’s exit as the Red Bull Team Principal will influence his future, as speculation of a move away continues to swirl.

The future of four-time champion Verstappen has been a major talking point in recent weeks, with reports linking him with a potential move to Mercedes for 2026, despite having a contract in place to the end of the 2028 season.

While Verstappen has publicly kept his counsel on the matter, Horner’s exit after Silverstone came with fresh questions on how this could affect the Dutchman’s future.

Seeking to lay these questions to rest, Verstappen said ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend: “It has no influence on what I’m doing.

“At the end of the day, the team made a decision to do that, and now, from our side, we just have to look forward. There are a lot of things that we want to work on and be better at, and hopefully, we just keep doing that.”

Pressed once more on whether the management change would make it more likely that he remains with the Milton Keynes-based team beyond the current season, he added: “From my side, there’s nothing to say about my future. I know that I’m here and I’m happy with where I’m at. The only thing that we want to do is become more competitive, and that’s what we are working on.”

Revealing that he had found out that Horner would be leaving Red Bull just half a day before the public announcement, Verstappen reflected positively on their time working together, a period which yielded four drivers’ world titles and two constructors’ crowns.

“I’ve spoken to Christian. I spoke to him even today,” he said. “In that sense, the relationship will never change. We’ve experienced so many things together in the team, and of course, great, emotional moments. From my side, the team feels like a second family, and Christian is included in that.

“I’m just incredibly thankful for all of the moments that we have lived together and there is a time that someone leaves a team, whether that is Christian or me, that happens. It’s what happens in sport. No one is there forever.

“Of course, it happened at a time when a lot of people didn’t expect it. But at the end of the day, I’m the driver and the management made a decision, and you have to continue.”

Verstappen added: “When someone like Christian has been a part of the team for so long, I guess initially, everyone is a bit like ‘whoa’, but also, everyone has to look ahead. We have to just keep working and get the performance here on track.”