Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner doesn’t expect to lose star driver Max Verstappen anytime soon but admits the Dutchman is unlikely to stay in Formula 1 long after the end of his current contract.
Verstappen sparked rumours of a potential early F1 exit when he criticised plans for a new sprint weekend format.
Formula 1 is planning to turn Saturdays at sprint weekends into stand-alone days, with qualifying in the morning setting the grid for the sprint race in the afternoon. A separate qualifying hour on Friday would set the grid for Sunday’s traditional grand prix.
The sport is hopeful the new rules can take effect as early as the next weekend in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.
But reigning world champion Verstappen said he “won’t be around for too long” if F1 continues tinkering with the weekend format, particularly given the growing number of races in a season.
“I’m not a fan of it at all.,” he said. “I think when we’re going to do all that kind of stuff, the weekend becomes even more intense, and we’re already doing so many races, so I think that is not the right way to go at it.
“We’re heading into seasons where you have at one point 24, 25 races, because that’s where we’re going to head into. If we then start adding even more stuff, it’s not worth it for me anyway. I’m not enjoying that.”
Speaking to Sky Sports News in the UK, team boss Horner said he wasn’t surprised to hear the commentary from his lead driver, but while he didn’t see the Dutchman racing deep into his 30s, he didn’t think Verstappen was at risk of leaving the sport soon either.
“Max is his own man and he’s very, very strong in his opinions and on his outlook on what he wants to do in his life,” Horner said. “And I don’t see him being a Fernando Alonso and still racing at 41 or 42 years of age, or maybe not in Formula 1, but what his love and passion is is racing.
“If he’s not racing on track at the moment, he’s racing in the virtual world, he’s driving GT cars for fun, and his passion is just driving and racing, and while that burns within him he’s going to keep going.
“But how long that burns for, that’s each individual’s own journey. They’ve got to find that out for themselves.”
Horner conceded that the sport’s growing calendar — with rumours that next season could feature 25 grands prix — would extract a human cost from the teams.
“Twenty-three races (this year) is a brutal calendar and it’s tough,” he said. “It’s tough for the drivers; it’s tougher for the mechanics that are travelling at the beginning of the week and returning on a Monday after an event.
“It is a brutal calendar and it does take its toll at some point.”
Verstappen is under contract until the end of the 2028, when he’ll be 31 years old and will have raced in Formula for 14 seasons.
DESIGN GURU LOCKED IN ‘FOR MANY YEARS TO COME’
Horner also addressed rumours that legendary designer Adrian Newey was out of contract this year and could be looking for an exit, declaring the 64-year-old Briton would stick with Red Bull Racing for the foreseeable future.
Newey is widely regarded as the most successful F1 designer of all time, with cars built under his stewardship winning 11 constructors titles and powering drivers to a further 12 championships.
His last car, the 2022 RB18, was his most successful in terms races won both outright and as a percentage of entries.
“His heart is still very much in Formula 1,” Horner said of his chief technical officer. “We don’t talk about contracts or longevity of contracts, but he’ll be here for many years to come.
“He’s such an important part of our team and popular part of our team.
“It’s great to have him with us for the long term but also to be involved in some of the things we’re now getting involved in.”
