Christian Horner Gives Verdict on Max Verstappen’s Retirement Amid Red Bull’s Internal Storm

While on the one hand, it looks like it’s all roses for the Austrian team, Red Bull has some pretty tough questions to answer in the coming years. Their collaboration with Honda will also end shortly in a couple of years, apart from facing their internal struggles. The 80-year-old Helmut Marko’s future with the team remains unknown, along with the need to solve their problem with their second seat.

Quite literally, the last thing Red Bull needs right now is to think if their three-time world champion will continue racing. While Max Verstappen has not exactly hinted towards retirement, he has shown active interest in endurance racing and the Esports side of racing as well. However, Christian Horner has made things clear and told the whole world where Red Bull and the Dutch World Champion’s interests lie ahead of 2024.

Christian Horner’s verdict on Max Verstappen’s retirement

While Max Verstappen absolutely loves F1, he has been an open book about how long he’d like to stay in the sport. He has made it very clear that he would not be spending his 40s on the grid, the way Fernando Alonso or Kimi Raikkonen did. In fact, he has openly stated that he will not be a part of F1 in 10 years.

When asked about where F1 would be in 10 years, here’s what he stated. “The gasoline will probably be gone. But our sport is already becoming greener and more sustainable. Only one thing is certain: Max Verstappen will no longer be there!”

Despite this, however, Christian Horner thinks that Max Verstappen has a good 15 years left in the sport. He said, as quoted by Race Fans, “I mean at 26, obviously he’s still got quite a few years left in him. But he’ll go as long as he wants to and his motivation is there. I think he’s very strong in his own mind. I don’t think he’ll be driving when he’s 42 in F1. But that’s 18 years away or 16 years away from where he is now. So I think he’s going to take things one season at a time.”

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For now, there is little room for Max Verstappen to take it one season at a time, as he is contracted to Red Bull till the end of the 2028 season. So, till 2028, despite other problems, Red Bull has one thing that they can depend on for sure – Max Verstappen. Despite this certainty, however, they still have other problems to sort out.

Red Bull’s Internal Storm in 2025

Red Bull may well be looking at their last stable season in 2024. At the end of the season, there is a huge chance that all hell will break loose. Helmut Marko’s contract ends at the end of the next season, along with Sergio Perez’s. Sergio Perez would need to start improving next year. If Red Bull is involved in a tight constructors’ fight, they would need Perez to fire on all cylinders. With rumors of Ricciardo to Red Bull in 2025, Perez would absolutely need to show his mettle and consistency through the season.

However, that might really not be their biggest problem. Amidst rumors of an internal rift between Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, there is a significant chance that Red Bull might just choose to let Marko’s contract lapse at the end of the season, and not renew. Some people think that Helmut Marko’s role is redundant, with Max Verstappen being as dominant as he is. However, the ball is firmly in Red Bull’s court though, as they will decide on Helmut Marko’s future within the next few days.

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Whatever they decide, 2024 could very well be the last year for Red Bull, as we have known it since its inception. Helmut Marko has been a crucial part of the team’s success, especially with his impressive scouting abilities. If not for him, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Sebastian Vettel, or even Carlos Sainz’s talent could have very well gone unnoticed.