Amidst the ongoing saga surrounding Adrian Newey's departure from Red Bull, team boss Christian Horner has clarified that Max Verstappen's contract does not contain a clause allowing him to leave based solely on Newey's exit.
Earlier this week, Red Bull confirmed that Newey would be parting ways with the championship winning outfit in the first quarter of next year.
As F1’s most successful designer, Newey has contributed his creative genius to every single won of Red Bull’s 117 wins in Formula 1, including Verstappen’s 58 victories with the team.
Speculation has inevitably ramped up about Newey’s next move, with Ferrari reportedly pushing hard to lure the Briton to Maranello.
But it has also been suggested that Newey’s exit could incite Verstappen to also depart the Milton Keynes-based outfit well before the 2028 term of his contract.
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In Miami, ahead of this weekend’s round of racing in Florida, Verstappen downplayed the prospect of him walking away from Red Bull, while Horner set the record straight regarding the Dutchman’s potential ability to use Newey’s departure as a lever to release himself from his contract with the team.
“Well, you report those rumblings every week, but he’s still here,” Horner told Sky F1. “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 was justifiably tight-lipped regarding the fine print of Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull. But he nevertheless revealed that no clause exists linking the three-time world champion’s freedom to Newey’s exit.
“There’s no clauses with Adrian that link Adrian in any way to Max”, Horner confirmed. “They’ve enjoyed a good relationship over the years, as have our, obviously, previous drivers.
“But Max as well understands 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.”
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