Christian Horner has been shown the door at Red Bull, at a time where rumours are swirling over the future of Max Verstappen.
The reigning four-time World Champion is being linked with a move to Mercedes once more, but following the bombshell that Horner had been released by Red Bull with immediate effect after 20 years as Red Bull Racing CEO, Brundle suspects that makes Verstappen “more likely to stay” at Red Bull.
Max Verstappen: Red Bull or Mercedes his future?
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, but could be in a position to force an early exit, should the terms of a release clause within that deal be activated. It is believed that would require Verstappen to be outside the top four in the Drivers’ Championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
With the Belgian and Hungarian rounds to go, Verstappen sits P3 in the standings, 18 points ahead of George Russell and 46 points up on Charles Leclerc.
The dismissal of Horner sparks question marks over what this means for Verstappen’s future with Red Bull, and Brundle suspects the chances of Verstappen staying put has now gone up.
Asked by Sky Sports News how Horner’s exit impacts Verstappen’s situation at Red Bull, Brundle replied: “It remains to be seen.
“I mean, every point, podium, victory and World Championship Max has – through his own genius driving, it must be said – is in a Red Bull Car, and he’s often said he wants to see his career out there, if he can.
“But then, you know, they’re debuting their own engine for the first time next year, in what is going to be the biggest change in Formula 1 history of car and power unit at the same time.
“Christian has been in the seat and driving that aspect of the team along completely.
“So we know that Max has an exit clause based on where he is in the World Championship at the end of this month. Does this mean he’s more likely to go, more like stay? I can only surmise it means he’s more likely to stay at the team.”
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Brundle’s stance was echoed by Sky F1 colleague Karun Chandhok, both having been present at the British Grand Prix, which goes down as Horner’s final race with Red Bull.
“These are all part of the questions with the fallout that’s going to come in the next few days,” said Chandhok when asked the same question as Brundle regarding Verstappen’s Red Bull future, “these are all questions that will be answered.
“Christian himself, even on Friday last week, said very openly, ‘Max Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull, and he’s not going anywhere else.’ Now, obviously, Christian is not there anymore. Does that have an effect? I don’t know.
“My gut tells me that Max will now stay at Red Bull in 2026 and then we’ll see what happens beyond that. But, it’s only my gut feeling at the moment.”
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