Red Bull plays down Max Verstappen exit rumor as just…

Red Bull boss Christian Horner is unconcerned by the "noise" around Max Verstappen's future and is convinced that the four-time champion will be with the team next year.

In the wake of Helmut Marko's suggestion to Sky Germany that he was concerned about Verstappen's willingness to remain with Red Bull following its pace struggles in 2025, rumours have escalated about the reigning world champion’s future.

Previous links to the likes of Mercedes and Aston Martin, which had previously gone cold, have resurfaced - although Verstappen stated on Thursday that he was simply focused on helping Red Bull out of its current slump and was happy where he was.

Marko had previously suggested that Verstappen's contract, which expires at the end of 2028, had a break clause depending on the team's performance.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Horner brushed away the rumours surrounding his lead driver and, when asked if he expected Verstappen to still be with Red Bull in 2026, he responded in the affirmative.

"I think noise is exactly the right word to describe it," Horner said after opening practice for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing, Dr. Helmut Marko, Consultant, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool)

"There's been a lot of noise outside of the team, inside the team, I think Max again reaffirmed his commitment yesterday.

"We're focused on making the car go faster, that's where our focus is, and Max is part of that. He's a committed member of the team and the rest is all speculation and hearsay."

Asked about Marko's comments directly, Horner added that the team's adviser was welcome to have his own view - but reiterated that Verstappen's future would not be a concern if Red Bull can turn its fortunes around.

Horner explained that it had spent FP1 "going a little radical" on set-up options in order to explore its RB21 further and work out how to get the best out of it.

He estimated that Verstappen had a 0.3-second disadvantage in Jeddah’s first sector as the Dutchman revealed on the radio that he was struggling to turn the car in the opening corners.

"I think that people are always gonna have their concerns,” he said, after his team finished ninth and 10th in FP1. “I think as a team we are focused very much on sorting this car out.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool)

"Sort the car out, it doesn't need to become a discussion point. I think as you say, we've experienced two very contrasting emotions inJapan, getting that victory and then obviously last weekend [Bahrain] was a tricky one.

"We're trying a few different things this weekend, so that session was all about going a little radical on some of the set-up.

"We've got plenty to look at. We ran the cars slightly differently as well, so we've got that information now to digest."

Red Bull is currently third in the 2025 championship, 80 points off leaders McLaren despite Verstappen’s victory at Suzuka.