{"id":35563,"date":"2025-07-04T13:41:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T17:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=35563"},"modified":"2025-07-04T13:43:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T17:43:19","slug":"horner-red-bull-must-show-verstappen-were-on-the-right-trajectory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/07\/04\/horner-red-bull-must-show-verstappen-were-on-the-right-trajectory\/","title":{"rendered":"Horner: Red Bull must show Verstappen “we’re on the right trajectory”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Max Verstappen had dominated headlines – more so than usual – in the build-up to this weekend’s British GP. As links between the Dutchman and Mercedes persist<\/a>, Christian Horner has responded to the speculation surrounding his marquee driver.<\/p>\n

Christian Horner admits Verstappen is most “in-demand driver”<\/h2>\n

It would be a mistake to suggest this is the first time tensions have arisen at Red Bull.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of 2024, the controversy surrounding Christian Horner<\/a> created a significant rift in the team.<\/p>\n

Jos Verstappen, father of Max, even suggested that Horner should resign for the damage inflicted by his leadership.<\/p>\n

Although cooler heads prevailed, some of the fault lines from last year are still present.<\/p>\n

According to AMuS<\/a>, for example, Max Verstappen’s camp want Christian Horner to have less influence in Red Bull’s decision.<\/p>\n

Whilst completely verifying this information is impossible, the dynamics at the Austrian team are clearly shifting.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the persistent ties between Verstappen and Mercedes<\/a> are becoming increasingly credible.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Ryan Pierse\/Getty Images) \/\/ Red Bull Content Pool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In different interviews this weekend, Horner has dismissed claims that the 4-time Champion could join the Silver Arrows.<\/p>\n

However, the Red Bull<\/a> team principal has not completely overlooked the interest surrounding his number one driver.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Sky Sports, the 51-year-old conceded that Red Bull must prove themselves to Verstappen:<\/p>\n

“I think 2026 represents the biggest regulation changes, with both chassis and engine, probably in the last 50 years of Formula 1.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Now Max is probably the most in-demand driver, he’s the best in the world…<\/em><\/p>\n

“When you think of it objectively, ’26 – staying where he is – he’s going to have all those options.<\/em><\/p>\n

“It won’t just be with one team, it will be with all the teams. <\/em><\/p>\n

“And it’s down to us to demonstrate we’re on the right trajectory, we’re performing we’re progressing, and Red Bull is the right place for him to be longer-term.<\/em><\/p>\n

“His desire, and he’s said it numerous times, is to finish his career in a Red Bull car. From start to finish.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I think if he sees there is that potential, I don’t see why that isn’t achievable.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Of course he’s also hungry to achieve more wins, more titles, that his talent deserves. So I think it’s more about 2027 than 2026.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Max Verstappen and Christian Horner in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson\/Getty Images) \/\/ Red Bull Content Pool \/\/ SI202505180158<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Red Bull struggle in Silverstone<\/h4>\n

For all the discussion and speculation currently swirling around, one constant in Formula 1 remains – performance is king.<\/p>\n

If Red Bull can compete with McLaren and revive Verstappen’s title chances, the narrative surrounding the Dutchman’s future might change.<\/p>\n

However, even after bringing updates last week in Austria, the RB21 looks off the pace.<\/p>\n

McLaren remain the benchmark, with even Ferrari seemingly jumping Red Bull<\/a> with their latest package.<\/p>\n

To make matters worse for Red Bull, their long-term prospects for 2026 and beyond are in question.<\/p>\n

As Horner eluded to, there are plenty of question marks about how his team will adapt to the new regulations.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest challenge to overcome will be power unit development – with Red Bull under immense pressure to compete with experienced manufacturers like Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The complications facing the Austrian team in 2026 are partly why, even before their recent decline, Verstappen was loosely linked to a potential 2027 Mercedes move in previous months.<\/p>\n

Of course, the situation has evolved radically in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Whilst Max Verstappen certainly isn’t guaranteed to stay at Red Bull, his future at Milton Keynes is more uncertain than ever.<\/p>\n

Christian Horner knows this better than anyone else, and will undoubtedly emphasise how important the next few months are to his personnel.<\/p>\n

Main photo: Mark Thompson\/Getty Images (Red Bull content pool)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Max Verstappen had dominated headlines – more so than usual – in the build-up to this weekend’s British GP. As links between the Dutchman and Mercedes persist, Christian Horner has responded to the speculation surrounding his marquee driver. Christian Horner admits Verstappen is most “in-demand driver” It would be a mistake to suggest this is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4927,"featured_media":35566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[681,2452,79],"class_list":["post-35563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-1","category-news","tag-christian-horner","tag-f1-2025-season","tag-max-verstappen"],"modified_by":"Jaden Diaz-Ndisang","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4927"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35563"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35568,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35563\/revisions\/35568"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}