Max Verstappen has expressed his gratitude towards Christian Horner, his former boss in Formula 1, following the announcement of Horner’s departure as Red Bull team principal.
The team announced on Wednesday the departure of Horner, who led Red Bull Racing for 20 years.
Verstappen, four-time world champion, shared a brief message on social media:
“From my first victory to the four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records. Thank you for everything, Christian!”
Max Verstappen
Horner’s exit comes amid speculation about Verstappen’s possible departure from Red Bull before his contract ends in 2028.
According to reports, Mercedes would be interested in signing Verstappen, and a performance-based clause could allow the 27-year-old driver to leave the team before his contract ends.
Verstappen, however, avoided commenting on the matter when asked by reporters at last weekend’s British Grand Prix.
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 been critical of the car’s problems, and 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 the age of 18, becoming the youngest race winner in F1.
The Dutch driver won his four world titles with the team and holds records for 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 has won eight drivers’ championships during Horner’s tenure and six constructors’ titles.
The team will have a new boss for the next Belgian Grand Prix, with Laurent Mekies, Racing Bulls team director, taking over Horner’s role, while engineer Alan Permane will take charge of Racing Bulls’ operations.
Red Bull is in fourth place in the constructors’ championship after 12 races. They haven’t finished below fourth place since a seventh place in 2008.
