Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has finally spoken out to address rumours Max Verstappen could leave the team next year.
Despite winning the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this month, it's safe to say that Red Bull and Verstappen will be disappointed with their start to the 2025 Formula One season.
After the first four races of the season, McLaren have clearly established themselves as the top team this year, while Red Bull are clearly behind, leading to rumours that Verstappen could look to leave the team at the end of the season.
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But now, Horner has spoken out to address the rumours and given a bombshell update on where fans can expect Verstappen to be driving next year.
Following the Bahrain Grand Prix, Red Bull's team advisor Helmut Marko told Sky Sports that he was very concerned about Verstappen's future at the team after the poor start to the season.
The comments led to huge speculation over who the four-time world champions would drive for next season, with Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin all linked with the Dutchman.
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However, in an interview with Sky Sports ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Horner has put the record straight and directly addressed the rumours.
He said: "I think noise is exactly the right word to describe it, there's been a lot of noise outside of the team.
"Inside of the team Max reaffirmed his commitment yesterday, we're focused on making the car go faster, Max is part of that and he's a committed part of team. The rest is all speculation and hearsay."
When asked by Martin Brundle to clarify if he expects Verstappen to be a Red Bull driver for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, Horner assuredly said: "Yeah, absolutely."
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The Red Bull boss was then asked by Natalie Pinkham to address Marko's comments, but Horner ensured that his answer was carefully worded.
"Look, people are always going to have their concerns but as a team we are focused very much on sorting this car out. If we sort the car out this doesn't even become a discussion point," he replied
Topics: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Motorsport, Formula 1
Ben McCrum