Horner’s departure has no impact on Verstappen’s future
Max Verstappen says Christian Horner’s removal as Red Bull CEO and team principal has no impact on the decision about his own future. Horner was sacked three days after the British Grand Prix and has been replaced by Frenchman Laurent Mekies, formerly boss of second team Racing Bulls.
Verstappen, speaking publicly about the changes for the first time, said: “I don’t think it will matter at all for my decision in the future. The only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can make it, really.”
The four-time champion also appeared to hint he will stay at Red Bull beyond this season. While Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028 there are clauses which allow him to leave, while their not public there has been speculation that Horner’s departure and/or if he isn’t in a certain position by a certain point or points in the season, being the main ones.
Verstappen told a packed press briefing in Spa, “The last one and a half years have not been what we want to be. Now we try to be more competitive this year, a little bit, but for sure also with the new regulations.”
In addition, Red Bull have slipped from competitiveness since the middle of last season. Verstappen took his fourth consecutive world title in 2024, but won only twice in the final thirteen races. He is currently third at the halfway stage in the season as the mid-summer double header gets underway before the official break after Budapest next weekend. Red Bull are fourth in the constructors’ championship behind McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.
Asked whether there was a possibility he would not be driving for Red Bull next year, Verstappen said: “There’s also a possibility I don’t wake up tomorrow. So then there is no driving at all. So, life is unpredictable. But in general, I’m very happy where I’m at – and I hope. That was still the target that was set out when we signed the new deal, you know, that I would drive until the end of my career.”
Speaking about Horner’s departure, he added: “Management decided they wanted to steer the ship in a different direction, probably. And then everyone else, of course, has to anyway agree to that and look forward. I am looking forward. Of course, I had already quite a few meetings with Laurent as well.”
Asked whether he was surprised by Horner’s sacking as team principal after two decades, Verstappen said: “Surprised. I mean, at the end of the day, in this world, things like that, they can happen. When they told me, it’s not like they just said, ‘this is what we just decided’, and then they hung up the phone. You know, you have a conversation about it.”
It’s been reported since the allegations emerged last February of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour made against Horner by a female employee, and of a feud between Horner and his father. Though Red Bull twice dismissed the claims which Horner has always denied them, although the ultimate resolution to them is yet to emerge.
Verstappen added: “People can have a difference of opinion now and then, and I actually expect that to happen because if everyone always agrees, there is a problem. You need to have a difference of opinion. And, yeah, that’s now something that we work with in a different direction.”
I’m “more of a threat now” to Piastri – Norris
Lando Norris believes he is “more of a threat now” to championship leader Oscar Piastri, but is still not happy with his current performance level as both fight for a maiden world title. Norris heads into his second home Grand Prix in three weeks looking to make it three home wins this season, with him eight points behind his McLaren teammate.
The last two races have been the perfect response to his collision, which he took responsibility for, with Piastri and lead to his retirement in Montreal, with him believing he’s finally putting up more of a fight to his teammate. said Norris, “I feel like I climbed a little bit back to where I was,” “The most positive thing from those two weekends was just that the pace was better from the off and I was more comfortable with the car and in understanding how to get the most pace from it.
“At times, that brings more of a smile to my face than just winning the race itself because it’s progress, it’s seeing progress and that’s always a very good thing. It’s a very rewarding thing. But I still know that there’s still more I need to get. There’s still more things. I feel better than what I did. So, do I feel more confident that I can have more performances like that? Yes.”
But added that he believes he was still not performing at the level he needs to be consistently, which echoed what he said in Las Vegas, ‘he didn’t deserve the championship because he wasn’t consistent enough.’
But significant gains from Piastri over the winter, like in qualifying trim, added with McLaren designing a car that Norris said in March doesn’t suit him, led to the Australian overtaking his older team-mate.
When asked at Spa why Norris thinks he has been able to get back on level terms with Piastri, he put it down to becoming more versatile. Adding “My driving, how I drive the car, my ability to adapt to more driving styles. That’s really the main thing, how I drive the car. It’s also my job at the end of the day to drive whatever car I get given as quickly as possible.”
Mercedes ‘priority” continuing with both drivers – Wolff
Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff says continuing with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the 2026 season is the “absolute priority” amid conversations with Max Verstappen’s entourage.
The past few weeks there has been reports the dutchman and his management have been talking to Wolff about a possible move to Mercedes, as he continues to weigh up his options to be competitive in the future. Despite Verstappen having a contract until 2028, various escape clauses can be activated by the upcoming summer break, as well as next year.
The turbulence at Red Bull over the last eighteen months with the departures of CEO and team principal Christian Horner and chief technical officer Adrian Newey, the fall in competitiveness from this time last season and the uncertainty with building its own power units and regulation changes next season has raised questions about Verstappen’s future.
However, those unknowns for 2026 also apply to all other teams, so it has always been more likely that Verstappen would bide his time and see which team has really made the best start in the new era before committing to a drastic move. All this has created a stalled driver market for 2026, as Russell is yet to sign a new contract.
But Wolff has told ORF that continuing with Russell and Antonelli is the “absolute priority” for him, and has played down any “big surprises” over the summer break.
Adding, “Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months, so they are all up to date. The direction of travel is definitely that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That is the absolute priority. But you can’t look past someone like Max and the plans he has for the future. We did that, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises.”
These rumours were fuelled by Sky Sports pundit Ralf Schumacher who reported that during the first summer break Wolff and Verstappen had met in between the British and Belgian grands prix, as both spent time on the Italian island of Sardinia. Some fan accounts even manufactured images of Wolff allegedly boarding Verstappen’s private jet.
Hamilton “challenging every area”
Lewis Hamilton says he is “challenging every area” of Ferrari as he seeks to help turn the team into champions again. Eighteen months on from the story which shocked the world and sport with his departure from Mercedes to Ferrari, it has been a debut season of highs and lows with only a sprint pole and win in Shanghai, with the most successful driver of all time yet to score a podium in the Grand Prix format.
Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc has scored four podium finishes, told BBC News, “It is a huge organisation with a lot of moving parts and not all of them are firing on all cylinders they need to be. I feel like it’s my job to challenge every area. To challenge everyone in the team, particularly those at the top.”
Ferrari have not won a title of any kind since a constructors’ championship in 2008, while their last drivers’ title was with Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, who pipped Hamilton in his debut season by a point to the championship after the then-rookie retired in Shanghai after beaching his car in the gravel.
Hamilton pointed out the iconic Italian team could not blame the quality of drivers for their lack of success. At various times since 2008, Ferrari have had Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Raikkonen in their ranks. He added, “The team have had amazing drivers – Kimi, Fernando, Sebastian – and yet they didn’t win a title with Ferrari.”
“I refuse for that to be the case with me, that’s why I am going the extra mile. If you take the same path, you get the same results.” Hamilton revealed he has written several documents to Ferrari’s leadership chairman John Elkann, vice chair Piero Ferrari, CEO Benedetto Vigna and team principal Fred Vasseur during the first summer break, going over issues with this year’s car and thoughts about future development.
He added, “There have been great responses. There are lots of improvements that need to be made, but [they’re] very responsive and I’m trying to create allies within the organisation. I’m here to win. It’s crunch time for me and I truly believe in the potential with this team. I believe they can win multiple championships moving forward. That’s my sole goal.”
Talking Points Spa
After the first summer break the season briefly resumes with a double header beginning at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps in South-West Belgium. The 4.352-mile circuit in the Ardenne Forest is loved by drivers and fans because of its challenges; there are so many variables, and anything can happen on the longest circuit of the season, and that’s even without a sprint thrown in.
Spa winding its way through the Ardennes, the track is a major challenge due to the need to balance both top speed with the high downforce needs of the middle sector. Not to mention the iconic corners such as Eau Rouge and Raidillon, Pouhon and Blanchimont. It’s a track that can provide plenty of drama due to the ability to overtake and the propensity for rain to impact the weekend, with the circuit perhaps the best example of a venue where it can be raining in one sector and completely dry in another.
The big story since Silverstone has been the departure of Christian Horner from Red Bull, after two decades they go into their first weekend without him since 2005. Red Bull are unlikely to add to there eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles, and with new management how will this affect the team.
On the track, Red Bull continue to lack outright performance compared to McLaren which is likely the factor Verstappen cares about most when it comes to his decision to stay with the team, or not. Mixed conditions are predicted, which is never easy to read in terms of the weather, but if it is dry we will see if Red Bull go for a high top speed set-up again, and whether it works in race trim.
Also tied up in the situation at Red Bull is the future of Max Verstappen. After a dominant 2022-23 seasons, the last year has seen them struggle to replicate that and fight for wins and this years championship, as they have lot many key personnel. If anyone had been expecting the gap between races to just quieten the talk around Verstappen and Mercedes, then they were betting against the internet, where fans were tracking jets and yachts associated with both Verstappen and Toto Wolff.
One of the feel-good stories from Silverstone was Nico Hulkenberg after fourteen and a half years since his only pole position in Sao Paulo, and after the most race starts scored his first podium and Sauber’s first in thirteen years. Sauber brought a major upgrade for Barcelona, which allowed them to maximise results and are the fourth highest scoring team in the last four races.
Ferrari a mixed first half of the season where they only won a sprint race appear to have made a big step in performance through their incremental gains, but there has also been a focus on the rear suspension that they have been hoping will address some of the handling and set-up issues that both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have been having to fight with this year.
It is likely the last major upgrade for Ferrari before they put full focus on 2026 and the new technical regulations, so it will be a crucial weekend for the Scuderia and their hopes of snatching a win or two in the remaining rounds. Mercedes and Red Bull are also expected to bring minor updates to Belgium, with McLaren unsure on whether they will run the new floor, which was tested in FP1 at Silverstone, but that they then took off the car for the remainder of the weekend.
Last week, the team had a filming day at Mugello which would have given them a opportunity to test new parts and find more performance. They could similar to what we saw with McLaren last season in becoming a threat in challenging for wins, which could impact the battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Spa is also the third sprint weekend of the season, with a maximum of thirty-three points on the table, that could allow Norris to retake the championship lead at his second home Grand Prix. He has gone well at in the past compared to his teammates. Since Montreal, Norris and Piastri have gone different ways with the car, specifically the suspension. Norris has been using the new suspension but Piastri has decided, so far, to stick with the older version.
Norris has appeared to have some confidence following the suspension change from Montreal, where, before the crash he showed great speed after a poor qualifying. But bounced back to victory in Spielberg and Silverstone.
There has been over two weeks since the last race at Silverstone, so Piastri and his engineers have been able to look at the data and work in the factory to see if they want to follow Norris with the new suspension.
Development Corner
Racing Bulls and Aston Martin are among the midfield F1 teams bringing aerodynamic updates to this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa as both squads aim to gain a firm foothold in F1’s tight 2025 midfield.
At the half way stage, Racing Bulls mayhave failed to capitise on their performance advantage this season while Aston Martin, Williams and Haas have looked competitive over the past few months. Williams have looked to have stalled , Aston brought improvements, and Sauber has now leapfrogged RB for sixth place in the F1 standings.
In a bid to claw back its five-point deficit to the heavily upgraded Sauber, Racing Bulls is bringing an array of aerodynamic updates this weekend. Incoming Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane told Motorsport.com, “We have a couple of bits for Spa, a couple of small aerodynamic updates for Spa,” incoming team principal Alan Permane told Motorsport.com. “And then I think there will be one more thing after the shutdown. But again, we have largely shifted across to 2026.”
Racing Bulls is not alone in its final 2025 push, with Aston Martin also promising the introduction of a “big component” to follow up its latest improvements trialled at the British Grand Prix.
His Aston Martin counterpart, Andy Cowell, told Sirius Radio, “Gathering data on the aerodynamic package was difficult to do [at Silverstone] because of the wet, changeable conditions, but we’ll get together in the factory and work out exactly what we’ve learnt regarding the floor and the minor top bodywork changes.
“We’ve got another big component coming to Spa, and we’ll work out what we’re doing for the rest of the year as well. We’re not putting any more significant aerodynamic resources.” With under six months until the first test in Barcelona, many teams have already shifted focus to next seasons regulation change.
Also at this point in the cycle teams are unlikely to find major breakthroughs, but one look at the qualifying timesheets this season shows that even half a tenth of pure performance can make the difference between going out in Q1 and making it through to Q3.
F1 on target for 2030 Net Zero target
F1 says it is on target to meet its 2030 net zero carbon emissions by 2030, the sport’s annual sustainability report says it has delivered a 26% reduction over the last seven years. That’s the equivalent of 228,793 tonnes of CO2 a year to 168,720, according to its annual sustainability report.
F1 launched its sustainability strategy in 2019 with a long-term commitment to reduce carbon emissions in areas like travel, logistics, and energy use.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the five-year net zero target was a “concrete goal” and “already visible in the significant reduction of our sport’s carbon footprint”. Adding, “We are proud of what we have achieved so far and remain determined to continue on this path.”
One of the biggest ways it has done this is introducing regionalised races with the Asian races grouped at the start of the season. While teams are now using more green energy such as wind and solar power, resulting in a 59% reduction in emissions from these facilities compared to seven years ago.
Other initiatives that have contributed include F1 expanding the use of biofuel trucks for transporting freight in Europe, which reduced related carbon emissions by an average of 83%.
2026 will see new regulations designed to further reduce emissions with power units with around 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power – and use fully sustainable fuels. To further improve the flow of the calendar, Canada switches to an earlier date in May, followed by a run of nine European races, starting with Monaco in June and ending with the new Madrid Grand Prix in September.
Domenicali added “Formula 1 has always been synonymous with innovation and the desire to improve. Once again, this mentality has allowed us to make important progress, not only for those who work in this world, but also for society as a whole. While continuing to grow globally, we have shown that sustainable development is possible and that the strategies we have adopted are yielding tangible results.”
The report says remaining unavoidable emissions in 2030 “will be offset using credible programmes in line with latest best practice guidance”.
Gasly’s difficult return to Spa
Spa has become a difficult place for Pierre Gasly following the events of the 2019 F2 sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix, which resulted in the death of close friend Anthoine Hubert. Telling the media that he has “images in my head that I would rather never have seen,” he prepares to use these emotions “as a strength”.
The Eua Rouge / Raidillon section, one of the most well-known sections in motorsport, has been under renewed scrutiny since Hubert’s death and the Dutch driver Dilano Van ‘t Hoff in a in FRECA four years later in 2023. Gasly has made it a tradition to honour the driver’s memory. The Frenchman has organised runs in tribute to his late friend and lays flowers by Hubert’s memorial.
He said, “It’s definitely a mixed feeling coming back here every time. I always said when I was a kid that it was my favourite track. It’s where I got my first F4 victory, in the rain. It’s one of the most beautiful tracks. It’s the kind of track with a lot of rhythm. In the car, there’s a flow that’s really unique to Spa.”
“Now, of course, with what’s happened, every time I come back here, it’s not the same. It’s something that’s unique to this place. It’s a strange feeling. I can’t say that on the one hand, it’s a track I love, where I love to drive, and on the other hand, I know that whether I want to or not, every time I come back here, I have images in my head that I would rather never have seen.”
The 2019 race was the first in race weekend driver fatality since the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994.
Gasly believes it’s important to continue these commemorations not only for the drivers themselves, but for their families who are just as big a part of their journey. Saying “For me, I think it’s very important. At the end of the day, we’re all part of the motorsport family. I think all drivers, whether in F1, F2, F3, or all professional and amateur drivers, realise the sacrifices and effort it takes to do what we do today.”
