Max Verstappen allies hold Belgian GP talks after Christian Horner exit

A number of Max Verstappen's allies have been spotted in a meeting with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko at the Belgian Grand Prix, as the F1 team enter a new era.

Red Bull head into this weekend with a new team principal for the first time since the 2005 Australian GP, with Christian Horner having been sacked immediately from his role earlier this month after 20 years in the job.

It comes after a huge dip in performance over the last 18 months for Red Bull, who are currently sat fourth in the constructors' championship with Verstappen only having won two of the first 12 races of the season.

This lack of performance in the team's 2025 challenger has led to rumours regarding Verstappen's future with the team, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirming earlier this month talks had taken place regarding a stunning driver transfer.

Now, Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen, his father Jos Verstappen and Red Bull advisor Marko have been spotted by GPFans in the paddock at Spa having a meeting ahead of this weekend’s Belgian GP, with the mood between those present appearing pretty happy, as Jos could be seen 'smiling a lot'.

Verstappen Sr. was known to have a tumultuous relationship with former team principal Horner, and will no doubt be glad to see Laurent Mekies taking over the role as his son's boss from this weekend onwards.

Verstappen's inner circle

Verstappen and his father share a close relationship away from the race track, and the public feud between Jos and Horner was a difficult one for the four-time world champion to talk about.

On media day in Belgium, Verstappen said he was glad that there were 'differences of opinions' between the pair, stating that it helped drive the team on.

However, the arrival of the cool and composed Mekies from Racing Bulls will likely be a relief in that the Dutchman will no longer have to answer questions about his father and his boss publicly feuding.

One of Mekies' main responsibilities in the early days at Red Bull will be to try and convince their star driver to stay, with Verstappen having scored 165 of the team's 172 points so far in 2025, yet still flailing in the drivers' championship.

While the RB21 is clearly a very difficult car to drive, Red Bull will need to show they can give the Dutchman a car capable of challenging for world championships again once new regulations come sweeping into the sport next year.

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