Verstappen cannot leave Red Bull after Newey's departure

Max Verstappen himself does not completely rule it out, but the Dutchman seems to remain loyal to Red Bull Racing despite the departure of Adrian Newey. The team simply has the fastest car for Verstappen at the moment and will continue to do so in 2025. Horner is therefore not too worried about his star driver.

Does Verstappen have a clause in his contract?

"Well, you report those rumblings every week, but he's still here. And look, Max is very happy in the team. He's got a wonderful group of engineers around him. He's got a great car. He's in the best car of the grid. He's driving in the form of his life. And it's not about contracts, it's about being content. And I think that's the same for any driver. And he has that. He has that dynamic around him and I think that, what you're seeing with him is a driver that's revelling in that environment," Horner told Sky Sports.

Verstappen made it very clear he would leave if Helmut Marko was shown the door. With Newey having left, there were also sounds that Verstappen could possibly leave due to a clause in his contract. According to Horner, however, there is no such clause.

"No. I mean, Max's contract's obviously always going to remain confidential, but there's no clauses, with Adrian, that link Adrian in any way to Max. They've enjoyed a good relationship over the years, as have our obviously previous drivers. But,  Max as well understands, you know, that there's been a planning process to this and it's not just a knee jerk. And so the structure will not change with Adrian stepping back," concluded the Red Bull team principal.