Horner’s cryptic ‘nothing stands still’ claim amid Verstappen to Mercedes rumours

Ahead of his own exit, Christian Horner warned Red Bull that Max Verstappen won’t be with the team forever, “whether it’s the year after or the year after.”

Little did he know at the time that he was the one on the way out.

Christian Horner: Nothing stands still

Verstappen still has three years to run on the bumper Red Bull deal he signed back in 2022, just a few months after winning his first World title with the team, but he’s been linked to a move away to Mercedes.

Although his run of titles extended to four last season as he held off Lando Norris to become Red Bull’s second four-time World Champion after Sebastian Vettel, his team’s dominance was blunted.

The Dutch racing driver went from winning 19 Grands Prix in 2023 to just nine last year, with his campaign including a 10-race streak without a victory; his longest barren spell in a single season since 2017.

Off track, the team had to deal with the Horner scandal, in which the team principal was accused, but cleared, of inappropriate behaviour towards a staff member, the loss of design legend Adrian Newey and the departure of long-serving sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.

Red Bull has not bounced back with this year’s RB21, with Verstappen managing just two wins to sit third in the Drivers’ Championship. At the halfway point of the season, he faces the very real prospect of losing the World title to one of the McLaren team-mates; he trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points.

It’s led to growing speculation that Verstappen’s days at Red Bull could be numbered.

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The 27-year-old has been linked to a switch to Mercedes, with George Russell throwing fuel on the fire when he revealed that talks between Verstappen and Toto Wolff were “ongoing.” That decision could affect Russell amid reports he’s the Mercedes driver whose seat is on the line.

Since then, reports have claimed Verstappen said ‘yes’ to Wolff, the Mercedes board has given the move the ‘green light’, and Nelson Piquet Jr. dropped the line “next year, with Max there,” in a podcast as he spoke about Mercedes.

Horner, speaking to the media including PlanetF1.com at Silverstone just days before being suddenly sacked from his role of Red Bull’s team principal, conceded it was only a matter of time before Verstappen left the Milton Keynes squad.

“Well, of course, Max is a key part of our team and has been for pretty much ten years now,” said the 51-year-old. “The intention is to keep that going.

“But one day, whether it’s the year after or the year after, there will be a day that there is no more Max.

“You always have to have that in mind, that the team always has to keep looking and investing in the future.

“Hopefully that won’t be for several years to come, but you never know.

“So, you’re always investing in young talent, you’re always giving opportunities like we did today with Arvid Lindblad, to see the next generation coming through.

“Because one thing for sure in this business, nothing stands still.”

Horner experienced that progression first hand last week when Red Bull relieved him of ‘operational duties’ with immediate effect, the Briton stood down from his roles as Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal.

He was replaced by former Racing Bulls team boss Laurent Mekies, whose role went to Alan Permane.

Addressing Red Bull personnel at the team’s Milton Keynes headquarters, an emotional Horner said: “Yesterday, I was informed by Red Bull that operationally I would no longer be involved with the business or the team moving forward.

“I will still remain employed by the company, but, operationally the baton will be handed over.

“It came as a shock to myself.”

Horner may have predicted Verstappen would one day leave, but it’s the Briton who instead left, and immediately.

His exit, it has been surmised, marks Red Bull’s last-ditch attempt to retain Verstappen with his camp said to be unhappy with the team principal.

According to Martin Brundle, ‘Team Verstappen’ played a critical role in Red Bull’s decision to sack the team boss.

“We don’t know what’s gone on behind closed doors, but I do know that Team Verstappen were not happy with him there,” he told Sky F1’s The F1 Show.

“I don’t know, but what’s absolutely clear is that the Verstappen camp have been lobbing in hand grenades for quite some months now, and some of them have gone off, and it’s been pretty relentless in that respect.

“And I think at times, Max’s dad, Jos, has made it absolutely clear that he thinks Christian shouldn’t be leading the company and leading the team.

“So I would, yes, they played a key role in Christian’s exit.”

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