Max Verstappen has insisted that Christian Horner’s departure will have no bearing on whether he decides to remain with Red Bull in Formula 1 past the 2025 season.
There have been heightened rumours regarding a potential Verstappen move to Mercedes since the admission that the two parties have been engaged in active talks.
That prompted suggestions that Red Bull’s choice to bring an end to Horner’s two-decade reign at the helm earlier this month was made as a bid to retain Verstappen.
But having denied that he was involved in the call to replace Horner with Laurent Mekies, Verstappen voiced that the change won’t impact his prospective endeavours.
“I don’t think it will matter at all for my decision in the future,” the Dutchman told media including Motorsport Week at the Belgian Grand Prix.
“And yet, the only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can make it, really.
“Like I said, the last one and a half years have not been what we want to be.
“Now we try and be more competitive this year a little bit, but for sure also with the new regulations.”
Verstappen reiterates long-term Red Bull desire
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff poured cold water on a possible deal with Verstappen for 2026, as he revealed his intention to maintain an unchanged line-up next season.
Meanwhile, Verstappen has emphasised that his desire remains to see through his Red Bull deal until 2028 when probed on the potential alternatives available to him.
Asked whether he has an option to head elsewhere, he said: “There is also a possibility I don’t wake up tomorrow. So then there is no driving at all. Life is unpredictable.
“But in general, I’m very happy where I’m at. That was still the target that we set out when we signed the new deal, that I would drive [here] until the end of my career.”
The reigning F1 champion also dismissed that there is substance to him and Wolff being traced to the same Italian island during the three-week break between races.
“I was swimming in the ocean at the time. I don’t know. I don’t really care about these things,” he explained.
“I went on holiday with my friends, my family. And when other people are there at the same time, that can happen.
“There are more people on the island than just me and Toto and the family. If you go to the same island, that can happen.”
READ MORE – Toto Wolff closes the door on Max Verstappen to Mercedes for F1 2026
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