Max Verstappen has expressed his gratitude to Christian Horner, his former boss in Formula 1, following the announcement of Horner’s departure from Red Bull.
The team announced on Wednesday that Horner, who led Red Bull Racing for 20 years, had been relieved of his duties.
Verstappen, four-time world champion, shared a brief message on social media:
From my first victory, to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records. Thank you for everything, Christian!
Max Verstappen
Horner’s departure comes after speculation about Verstappen’s possible exit from Red Bull before his contract ends in 2028.
Reports emerged during the Austrian Grand Prix, the team’s home race, indicating Mercedes’ interest in signing Verstappen. A performance-based clause could allow the 27-year-old driver to leave the team before his contract ends.
However, Verstappen avoided talking about the subject when questioned by reporters at last weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Internal sources indicate that the atmosphere at Red Bull has become increasingly tense, due to a decrease in on-track performance, uncertainty about Verstappen’s future in the team, and internal disputes.
Verstappen has also expressed his concern about the problems with the car. The current champion is third in the drivers’ championship, 69 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri of McLaren.
Verstappen joined Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso, in 2015 at the age of 17, becoming the youngest driver in F1 history. After being promoted to Red Bull in 2016, he won his first race at 18, being the youngest F1 race winner.
The Dutch driver conquered his four world titles with the team and holds records such as the most wins in a season (19), most consecutive wins (10) and most points in a season (575), as well as records in individual grand prix.
Red Bull will have a new boss for next week’s Belgian Grand Prix, with Racing Bulls team director Laurent Mekies taking over Horner’s role, while engineer Alan Permane will take charge of Racing Bulls.
