Max Verstappen says he continues to speak to Christian Horner “almost every week” after the former Red Bull team principal returned to the F1 paddock at the British Grand Prix.
Horner was sacked by Red Bull in the aftermath of last year’s British Grand Prix after more than 20 years in charge.
Max Verstappen responds to Christian Horner F1 paddock return
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After 12 months away from the paddock, Horner attended an F1 race for the first time since his departure at Silverstone last weekend.
Horner’s return coincided with a disappointing race for Red Bull, with Verstappen spinning out of the race at Stowe in the closing stages.
It later emerged that Verstappen’s loss of control was caused by the same problem with the rear wing that resulted in his crash in qualifying in Austria at the previous race.
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Verstappen sits a distant seventh in the world championship after the British Grand Prix, trailing leader Kimi Antonelli by 103 points.
Verstappen’s father Jos is known to have an uneasy relationship with Horner, having famously warned in early 2024 that the team would “explode” if Horner remained in charge.
Despite the animosity between his father and Horner, however, Verstappen himself has revealed that he remains in close contact with the former Red Bull boss.
Asked if he had spoken to Horner at Silverstone, Verstappen told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I speak to Christian almost every week.
“I saw him on the camera walking around, but I haven’t had time to meet anyone to be honest. It’s been busy.”
Asked about the nature of his conversations with Horner, he added: “Like you do with your friends or people that you’ve known for a long time.”
Footage after Verstappen’s retirement at Silverstone showed Mekies in conversation with Verstappen Sr and Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen’s manager, outside Red Bull’s hospitality unit when the four-time world champion arrived on the scene.
The clip showed Verstappen running up the stairs to his driver room, with Mekies breaking off his conversation with Verstappen Sr and Vermeulen to follow the driver up the stairs.
Asked about the impact Mekies has made in his 12 months in charge, Verstappen replied: “Everyone is trying their best. I’m not blaming one person or whatever. It’s just painful for everyone that this is happening.”
Pressed on the clip of Mekies following him into his driver room, Verstappen added: “He came straight in my room, of course, to discuss the problems that we had in the race, to let me know what happened out there.
“But that’s normal. We always do that, good or bad.”
Verstappen’s lowly position in the drivers’ standings means the well-documented exit clause in his Red Bull contract is certain to come into play over the coming weeks.
It is widely believed that Verstappen will be free to leave Red Bull for the F1 2027 season if he is lower than second place in the championship at the summer break.
Verstappen trails George Russell, the driver currently occupying second place, by 78 points with a maximum of 50 available across the next two races in Belgium and Hungary.
PlanetF1.com reported this week that Verstappen is in advanced talks with McLaren over a potential move to the reigning constructors’ champions.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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