No scandal is driving F1 star Max Verstappen away.
After months of speculation about his future, the three-time defending Formula One champion has confirmed that he will remain at Team Red Bull in 2025.
On Thursday before the Austrian Grand Prix, the Dutch driver was repeatedly questioned about his commitment to Red Bull Racing before he eventually answered, “Okay, yes.”
“I mean, we’re already also working on next year’s car,” he said. “I think when you’re very focused on that, that means that you’re also driving for the team.”
While Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, there were swirling rumors and intense speculation that the racing phenomenon was leaving Red Bull because of the ongoing scandal with the team’s boss, Christian Horner.
In February, the head of the F1 team, who is married to former Spice Girl’s member Geri Halliwell, was accused of misconduct by a team employee and had a plethora of sexually suggestive messages leaked.
Tension arose when Verstappen’s father Jos told friends that Max would leave Red Bull if Horner remained in power, according to The Telegraph.
“There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position,” Jos told the Daily Mail after his son clinched the Bahrain Grand Prix title in March. “The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
Horner attended the Bahrain Grand Prix with his wife and the two arrived at the race hand in hand.
In a press conference back in March, Horner accused people of trying to leverage his alleged behavior for their own competitive advantage.
“The only reason it has gained so much attention is because of the leakage in the media. And that’s been trying, particularly for my family because it’s all been focused in one direction. And what has happened after that is other people have taken advantage of it. What has then happened is that others have looked to benefit from it, and that’s maybe not the pretty side of our sport,” Horner told reporters.
Jos Verstappen denied allegations that he was involved in the email leaks, emphasizing that his son’s success with Red Bull gave him no reason to intervene.
His son leads the drivers’ standings with a 69-point advantage over McLaren’s Lando Norris, winning seven of ten races thus far, including last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
When asked about Horner – who has been the organization’s principal since its founding in 2005 – the F1 star said he was focused on the “performance side of things.”
“Listen, when I look at how Christian operates within the team, he has been an incredible team boss, so absolutely, from the performance side of things, you can’t even question that,” Max said, as per ESPN.
Despite the numerous allegations and rumors, Horner has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation process and retained his position with the organization.
Verstappen, who joined Team Red Bull in August 2014, has secured three consecutive F1 championships with the team and become such a force that betting on him to win any race requires wagering about $900 to win $100.
There have been consistent links suggesting a move to Mercedes for him due to Lewis Hamilton’s vacant seat for 2025. Mercedes’ boss Toto Wolff expressed his interest in having Verstappen join the team, saying he would “love” to see him as a driver for them.
However, it’s clear the F1 legend is firmly rooted with Red Bull for the foreseeable future.
