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What will happen to Red Bull if Max Verstappen leaves? (2:37)
Laurence Edmondson gives his thoughts on what the future could look like for Red Bull if Max Verstappen decides to leave. (2:37)
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Christian Horner has described stories linking Max Verstappen with a move away from Red Bull as “noise,” and is adamant the four-time world champion will remain at the team in 2026.
Following a disappointing team performance at the last round in Bahrain, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko said there was “great concern” Verstappen would leave if results do not improve.
Marko revealed earlier this year that Verstappen’s contract, which runs through to the end of 2028, includes a performance clause that could provide an early exit for the four-time champion if Red Bull is unable to provide him with a winning car.
Verstappen is currently third in the driver standings, eight points off championship leader Lando Norris.
Asked about his future ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen refused to answer the question directly, saying he was “relaxed” and focused purely on the performance of his car.
But team principal Horner said there was nothing in the stories.
Christian Horner said talk about Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull is ‘noise’. Alex Pantling/Getty Images
“Noise is exactly the right word to describe it,” he told Sky Sports. “There’s been a lot of noise outside of the team, inside of the team… Max reaffirmed his commitment yesterday. We’re focused on making the car faster, Max is part of that and he’s a committed member of the team. The rest is all speculation and hearsay.”
Asked if he was certain Verstappen would still be a Red Bull driver at the first round of the 2026 season, Horner added: “Yeah. Absolutely.”
The latest reports have linked Verstappen with a move to Aston Martin, while Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff made no secret of his interest in the 27-year-old last year.
Marko raised his concern about losing Verstappen shortly after he was spotted in a heated conversation with the Dutch driver’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, in the Bahrain paddock last Sunday where it was rumoured that Red Bull were holding a “crisis summit.
“It was not a crisis summit,” Horner said when asked about the meeting. “If you sit down with your engineers and discuss the race, I wouldn’t describe that as a crisis summit.
“We have lots of meetings. You sit down and discuss these things logically. There’s always engineering solutions to engineering issues. We are not where we want to be. We have got some issues with the car that we are working through and the whole team is working hard.
DriverPWPTS1 – Lando Norris (McLaren)41772 – Oscar Piastri (McLaren)32743 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)21694 – George Russell (Mercedes)30635 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)0032P – Podiums, W – Wins, PTS – Points
“We know what the issues are, it’s introducing a series of upgrades over the coming races to address some of those shortcomings,” he added.
Horner remains confident the story of Verstappen looking to leave will fade away if Red Bull improves the performance of its car.
“People are always going to have their concerns,” he added. “As a team, we are focused very much on sorting this car out. Sort the car out, and it doesn’t even become a discussion point.”
