Christian Horner seem certain: Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull Racing. As confident as he is, it’s far from certain that Verstappen will stay. There’s definitely an intention to continue together, but Verstappen’s camp has one important demand.
It’s been a season of turmoil within Red Bull Racing, largely due to the soap opera surrounding Christian Horner and the ongoing efforts of his suspended wife fighting for her cause. Despite this, Fernando Alonso confidently claimed in Japan that there’s zero chance of Verstappen leaving Red Bull.
The next day, team boss Christian Horner echoed this sentiment, insisting it’s 100% certain Verstappen stays. Though these statements from the team boss are logical, they aren’t entirely accurate.
GPblog understands that Verstappen’s camp currently sees no reason to leave. Red Bull Racing arguably has the best car at the moment, and it’s likely to remain so until 2025. With no clear alternative since Mercedes still doesn’t grasp the current regulations and Ferrari already has two drivers for 2025, why would Verstappen leave?
However, Verstappen’s camp has one clear condition: the success team must stay together. Verstappen has openly stated he would leave if Helmut Marko were dismissed, but this applies not just to Marko’s potential departure.
Adrian Newey and Pierre Waché have been linked with other teams lately. It’s natural that there’s interest in these individuals, especially during such a tumultuous time for the team. However, Verstappen’s camp believes efforts should be made to retain everyone, including Newey.
Christian Horner still leads the team and must keep these key individuals to retain Verstappen. Horner has attempted to remove Marko from the team before, but there’s now a ceasefire between the two camps. How long this truce lasts remains to be seen.
No peace agreement has been signed yet. Red Bull Austria, with Marko and Verstappen’s camp, disagreed on how to handle the investigation into Christian Horner. This issue hasn’t just disappeared. As long as Horner’s wife continues to fight her case, it could affect his position as team boss.
Alonso and Horner are fundamentally right: why would Verstappen leave Red Bull Racing? He certainly doesn’t intend to, hence his long deal until 2028. For Verstappen, it’s about the people within the team. If they leave, so will he. Only if everyone is retained, it’s 100% certain that Max stays.
