Christian Horner dismisses concerns over Mercedes’ pressure to sign Max Verstappen, affirming unwavering confidence in his driver’s commitment.
The 2024 season was marked by the Christian Horner scandal at Red Bull, a highly disruptive situation for Max Verstappen and his management.
Some, like Toto Wolff at Mercedes F1, tried to take advantage of the situation to attempt to sign the driver who eventually became a four-time world champion.
Discussions, confirmed by both parties, even took place during the summer break.
Did Horner fear losing his driver prematurely? The Red Bull driver is, after all, committed until 2028, although he has exit clauses.
“At no point was I ever concerned about him leaving.”
“Of course, every team is going to be interested in him because he’s the exceptional talent we all know, so you can only imagine he’d be at the top of every team’s list.”
Horner acknowledges that Mercedes F1 put genuine pressure in their attempt to secure Verstappen.
“There was a lot of noise around this. And generally, when the noise is so public, it tends to be real and significant… But serious matters are usually handled behind the scenes, not through the media. That’s how things are resolved, not through press statements.”
There were moments, however, when Verstappen chose not to silence the rumors, crafting clever responses to the questions posed. Even recently, the Dutchman did not rule out a team change before leaving F1.
Enough to unsettle Horner?
“He recently said he enjoys working within the team and fully intends to continue doing so.”
“Now, the focus is on us to provide him with a fast car so he can keep achieving the kind of results he’s been delivering.”
“But his commitment has been absolute and continues to be.”
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Red Bull Unshaken by Mercedes’ Bid for Verstappen Red Bull Unshaken by Mercedes’ Bid for Verstappen
