Red Bull Team Boss Shuts Down Rumors That Max Verstappen Might Leave The Team
Red Bull's struggles continued during Friday practice
While we're celebrating our independence from Great Britain here in the States, across the pond, a good chunk of the focus is on Silverstone and the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
And a big part of that focus is on Red Bull's four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen as rumors continue to swirl that the Dutchman could jump ship and join Red Bull's arch-rivals, Mercedes.
Verstappen finished okay, P10 in the first practice session and P5 in the second, with the notoriously unwieldy RB21 looking like it will be neither weekend during which it will be well off the pace of the McLaren, and by the looks of it, the Ferraris too.
This is a problem for Red Bull because poor performance on the team's part is one of the things that could lead to Verstappen leaving the team before his contract is up at the end of the 2028 season.
However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner didn't seem too concerned about the "noise" surrounding his superstar driver.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner talked about the rumors that star driver Max Verstappen could leave the team before his contract ends in 2028. (Getty Images)
"There's obviously an awful lot of people talking about it," Horner said, per Motorsport. "What's most important is the relationship between the driver and the team. Obviously, there's an agreement that defines that as well.
"Everyone is very clear on where we're at," he continued. "Max has been with Red Bull since the very start of his career. All his success has come in Red Bull Racing cars. He's a big part of our team. He has a great deal of faith in the team and the people around him.
"Whilst there's always going to be speculation and noise, I think we all sit fairly comfortable with where we're at and what the situation is. You can't control the narrative of others, but internally we know where we're at."
A lot can change between Friday practices and qualifying on Saturday, then the race on Sunday, but seeing the Red Bull outpaced by the sister Racing Bulls in one session and Verstappen only a few tenths up on them in the second might have Horner and Red Bull sweating just a little bit this weekend.