F1 News: Max Verstappen admits Red Bull EXIT is possible

Max Verstappen talking with Christian Horner — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Verstappen admits Red Bull EXIT is possible

Conflicts within the team have prompted rumours that the Dutchman could leave Red Bull

Tyler Rowlinson

Friday 8 March 2024 09:57

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Max Verstappen has not ruled out an exit from Red Bull amid the rumours and conflicts surrounding team principal Christian Horner.

Horner was the subject of an internal investigation from the team’s Austrian parent company Red Bull GmbH over alleged ‘inappropriate behaviour’ towards a female colleague.

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The 50-year-old completely denies the allegations and was cleared of any wrongdoing by the team before the opening race of the season in Bahrain.

However, documents containing messages supposedly sent by Horner were leaked during the Bahrain GP weekend and brought the issue back to the surface, with rival team principals calling for an external investigation into the matter.

Christian Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing by Red Bull over the allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour'

Max Verstappen's father Jos had a falling out with Horner in Bahrain

Verstappen has been linked with a move to Mercedes amid the investigations

Verstappen speaks on Red Bull future

Verstappen’s father – Jos Verstappen – revealed that he had a falling out with Horner in Bahrain, which has prompted rumours of his son being eyed by Mercedes, who are looking for their replacement for Lewis Hamilton when he joins Ferrari in 2025.

The Dutchman is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, but it was revealed by F1 Insider that he has a clause allowing him to leave immediately if Helmut Marko departs the Milton Keynes-based squad.

Speaking with Rachel Brookes on Sky Sports ahead of practice in Saudi Arabia, Verstappen insisted that he is still focused on his racing.

He said: “From my side, I’m just focusing on the driving bit and I think that is also the most important [thing] for the team right now and that’s also why we came here and that’s our main target and also what we want to focus on, to not have this stuff going on race after race because that is not good for the team.”

However, the three-time world champion did not rule out a move away from the team when he was asked whether there was any scenario where he is not racing with Red Bull next season.

“Things must go really crazy, I guess, but that’s not the target for everyone,” he said.

Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner