'No idea where they come from' - Verstappen rubbishes Horner exit rumours

Max Verstappen has dismissed claims that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner could be sacked.

Horner, who has overseen Red Bull's F1 team since its inception in 2005, has endured a turbulent 18 months both on and off the track. Allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against him in February 2024 by a female colleague were dismissed following an appeal last summer, with Horner consistently denying the accusations.

Red Bull has seen several high-profile departures recently, including legendary designer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.

Austrian outlet oe24 reported that discussions have occurred regarding Horner's future within the team as Red Bull approaches its 400th F1 race this weekend in Imola.

"Honestly, I have no idea where they come from, to be honest. Naturally, I don't really follow a lot of that," Verstappen told Sky Italy. "So, people ask me questions about that, and I'm like, 'honestly, I really don't know who even puts that in the world.'"

"Of course, I think naturally, as a team, we are not entirely happy with how we are performing, but we're also working on trying to be more competitive. But if you ask everyone this question, I think no one is happy or satisfied with their performance; you always want to be better, you want to perform more. That's what we're trying to do. So, for me, these rumours don't mean anything."

Red Bull has secured six constructors' and eight drivers' titles under Horner's leadership, making him the longest-serving team principal currently on the grid. Verstappen, currently 32 points behind Oscar Piastri in this year's championship standings, emphasized that the team's focus remains on car development rather than responding to media reports.

"We just focus on the performance. Where these rumours come from, I have no idea. I don't even know how people can come up with those kind of things," he stated. "We want to improve the car, and that's what everyone in the team is focused on."

Red Bull 'constantly upgrading' the car

Red Bull introduced a new floor on Verstappen's car in Miami and is expected to bring further updates, mirroring the approach of most other teams, for Imola and the upcoming European races in Monaco and Spain. The reigning world champion described the Imola upgrade as a "little step forward" but stated he "does not expect to suddenly close the gap to McLaren," who finished significantly ahead of the field in Miami.

"We have been constantly upgrading the car, trying to find little bits of performance," said Verstappen. "This track is not suddenly where the magic happens, but of course we would like to be a little bit faster. At the moment, I don't know how much that is going to bring us, to be honest."

Verstappen noted that "no one was in the same league" as McLaren, highlighting that their current advantage surpasses Red Bull's dominant 2023 season, where the Dutchman won 19 out of 22 races. "We never had that kind of gap, but it is also a bit track specific. At some tracks there's more thermal degradation than others," he added. "The advantage will not always be that big."