"He's still here" - Christian Horner rubbishes reports of Max Verstappen's potential departure after Adrian Newey's exit

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has refuted reports that Max Verstappen could leave the team. His quotes come after reports suggested that the Dutchman could join rival Mercedes following Red Bull CTO Adrian Newey's exit earlier in the month.

Newey, 65, decided to leave the team after 19 long years with reports of internal power struggle being one of the reasons. Some rumors suggested that three-time world champion Verstappen might follow Newey out of the team, with both of them being linked with Mercedes.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Imola GP, Christian Horner shut down the reports of the Dutch driver's exit and said:

“You report those rumblings every week but he’s still here. Look, Max is very happy in the team, he’s got a wonderful group of engineers around him, he’s got a great car, he’s in the best car on the grid, he’s driving in the form of his life.

“It’s not about contracts, it’s about being content, and I think that’s the same for any driver. He has that, he has that dynamic around him, and I think what you’re seeing with him is a driver that’s reveling in that environment.”

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There are no clauses involving Adrian Newey: Christian Horner on Max Verstappen's Red Bull contract

Christian Horner further stated that he would never disclose the details of Max Verstappen's contract. However, he indicated that Adrian Newey's departure had no significance to the former's contract.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Red Bull team principal said:

“No. I mean Max’s contract is obviously always going to remain confidential, but there are no clauses with Adrian that link Adrian in any way to Max.

“They’ve enjoyed a good relationship over the years, as have our previous drivers, but Max as well understands that there’s been a planning process to this and it’s not just a knee-jerk [reaction], so the structure will not change with Adrian stepping back.”

Max Verstappen has a contract with the Austrian team until the end of the 2028 season, which he signed after winning his maiden championship in 2021. He started the 2024 season by winning four of the six races as well as two sprint races.

Verstappen currently leads the drivers' standings with 136 points, 33 ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez in second place.