"I've got a dozen drivers that want that seat and I bet a bunch of them can win races": F1 pundit on Christian Horner calling Max Verstappen's bluff

F1 pundit Scott Mitchell-Malm claimed Red Bull team principal Christian Horner called Max Verstappen's 'bluff' after the latter claimed that there was a chance of him leaving the team.

The reigning three-time world champion recently insinuated to the media that he may exit Red Bull if Helmut Marko were to depart from the Milton-Keynes outfit. The Dutch driver did not appreciate the reports of Marko's alleged suspension doing the rounds during the Saudi Arabian GP weekend.

Horner then made a diplomatic response to Verstappen's threat by accepting the fact that drivers were allowed to make any decision they felt was right.

While appearing on The Race podcast, Mitchell-Malm felt that Horner's response was a way of calling the Dutch driver's bluff. Summarizing the situation so far, he said:

"He basically said that if Marko goes then I might go as well. What Marko impacts his future as well which was massive. 24 hours later, you have Horner not really ruling it out."

Explaining what he thought was the meaning behind Horner's response, the F1 pundit said:

"I think he hinted that he might actually want to call Verstappen's bluff over this and be like, 'Alright, you wanna leave over this guy and walk away from the fastest car in F1, if you want to that I've got a dozen drivers that want that seat and I bet a bunch of them can win races. I feel like that's where Horner's position is."

Red Bull team boss chimes in on his relationship with Max Verstappen

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that he had a strong relationship with Max Verstappen whilst also adding that no one personality was bigger than the team itself.

Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the Brit said:

“No individual is bigger than the team. We have a phenomenal car. We’ve got one seat open for next year. I have probably got 16 drivers that are desperate to be in that car for next year. We have a strong relationship with Max. He’s done a wonderful job. His focus is very much on what he’s doing on track, and that’s where our focus is.”

He reiterated that everyone had a role to play in the team and that he was the leader, adding:

“I think that there’s probably too much said already by other parties. The team is the team, Max is part of the team, Helmut is part of the team, I lead this team, and everybody has a key role to play.”

It will be fascinating to see if there are any further twists and turns in the dynamic between Max Verstappen and Christian Horner in the coming weeks.