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F1 fans were not pleased to see Max Verstappen address a move away from Red Bull after his father, Jos Verstappen, publicly criticized team boss Christian Horner for troubles inside the team.
Christian Horner was cleared of all accusations following Red Bull's internal investigation. However, the investigation's conclusion did not put the entire saga to bed.
After the 2024 F1 Bahrain GP, where Max Verstappen reigned victorious, his father, Jos Verstappen, warned that Red Bull could fall if Christian Horner remains as team principal. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said:
"There is tension here while [Horner] remains in position. The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems."
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Jos Verstappen was then spotted meeting Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, which sparked rumors that Max could join the Silver Arrows as Lewis Hamilton's replacement.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP, Max Verstappen stated that his move away from Red Bull could only happen if the situation gets even worse than it already is.
"Things must go really crazy (for that to happen), I guess, but that's not the target for everyone," he said.
With Max Verstappen suddenly becoming one of the top candidates to replace Lewis Hamilton, many fans criticized Jos Verstappen over how he could ruin his son's career with a bad move, particularly because Red Bull has a faster car than Mercedes.
Here are some of the reactions:
"Jos is going to ruin his son’s career with his ego," a fan wrote.
Some fans exclaimed how Max Verstappen did not deny a potential move away from Red Bull.
"HE DIDN'T SAY NO," another fan exclaimed.
Max Verstappen intends to stick with Red Bull till his contract expires
Max Verstappen declared he intends to stay with Red Bull until his contract expires in 2028.
Despite the controversies surrounding Red Bull, the Dutch driver told Marca that he would respect his current contract with the defending world champions. He was also thankful for everything Red Bull did for his career.
"Of course, that has always been the intention of the signing. That's why we signed up for so long to be here. And of course, it's about the performance of the car. And of course, starting in 2026, that's a question mark with the new regulations anyway, but I knew that when I signed my contract," he said.
"But I also know what they've done for me in my career, right? So of course the intention is absolutely to stay in this team because I really enjoy it and I'm also very happy with the team. And in the meantime, there's no reason to leave," he added.
Max Verstappen has been under the Red Bull umbrella since 2014 when he debuted in F1. He was promoted from Toro Rosso (currently Visa CashApp RB) to Red Bull Racing in 2016, and instantly started winning races. He currently has 55 race wins and three consecutive drivers' world championships under his belt with the Austrian-British team.
