“I’ve already said I think it is causing problems if he [Christian Horner] stays,” said Jos Verstappen while talking about the Christian Horner Controversy. Things have been looking rather bleak about the reigning champions, Red Bull, ever since the fiasco hit the tabloids. From Jos and Max Verstappen not shutting doors on a possible Mercedes move to Adrian Newey’s exit rumors. Let us dig deep into the latest update.

John Elkann (who holds a controlling stake in Ferrari) was seen leaving Red Bull hospitality sparking rumors of huge moves from Milton Keynes to Maranello. Adrian Newey, who would complete the dream trio with Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton, was the center of attention. However, the exit rumors have received a clarification.

According to Autosport, Newey’s plans with Red Bull remain unchanged. Sources have indicated that any idea of Newey changing roles is wide of the mark. His role remains unchanged and, with work continuing on the RB20, he will return trackside as scheduled at the Japanese Grand Prix next month.

While this may be true, there is still nothing settled when it comes to Max Verstappen.

“Not going to force somebody against their will”: Red Bull TP Christian Horner on possible Max Verstappen exit

Helmut Marko came under fire from the Milton Keynes management for possibly leaking the Horner controversy-related details to the media. And amid pseudo-confirmation of Verstappen’s stay, Horner has fired back and stamped his authority.

Horner said, “We have a strong relationship with Max. He’s done a wonderful job. His focus is very much on what he’s doing on track and that’s where our focus is. If a driver doesn’t want to be somewhere, then they’ll go somewhere else. It’s like anything in life – you can’t force somebody to be somewhere just because of a piece of paper. If somebody didn’t want to be at this team, then we’re not going to force somebody against their will to be here.”

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Do you think Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull at the end of this year?