Max Verstappen has rejected “rumors” about Christian Horner ahead of the F1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
An unfounded report from Austria claimed that Horner could lose faith in Mark Mateschitz, a shareholder of 49% of Red Bull GmbH, but retains faith from the majority shareholders of Thailand.
But our info is that Red Bull is busy and excitedly preparing for the 400th Grand Prix celebration this weekend with Horner at the helm. There is no real question mark about his future with the team.
Horner has led Red Bull since day one on the F1 grid in 2005, overseeing two golden ages: Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen: “Rumours do nothing”
Verstappen threw a question about Horner’s future at Imola.
“To be honest, I don’t know where they came from,” Verstappen told Sky Sports.
“I don’t follow that, so people ask me questions, but I really don’t know who’s putting it in the world.
“As a team, we are not completely satisfied with our performance, and we are committed to becoming more competitive.
“When you ask everyone this question, no one is happy with their performance. You’re always looking to get better and do more.
“So, to me, these rumors mean nothing.”
Verstappen arrives 32 points ahead of Championship leader Oscar Piastri.
Piastri has won three Grand Prix in a row, even before McLaren teammate Rand Norris, to establish himself as a favorite for his new title.
Verstappen and Red Bull know they have to deal a big blow to their rivals soon.
But they also recognize that the Spanish Grand Prix will introduce potentially game-changing FIA rules for flexiwing.
The impact of this can only be estimated for now, but Red Bull hopes to be able to retreat the RB21’s competitiveness.
