Otmar Szafnauer maintains that Christian Horner should keep Max Verstappen on board for 2025. Red Bull has been facing a challenging period since the beginning of 2024. There have been rumors of internal conflicts within the team following an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior. An aeronautical expert decided to leave the Austrian team after nearly twenty years. Now, rumors are circulating that he may be considering leaving Red Bull.
The former Formula 1 team manager emphasized the importance of Verstappen to Milton Keynes. The Romanian-American stated that if he were in Christian Horner’s position, he would do everything possible to keep the Dutch driver. Currently, Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2028. However, Mercedes has shown increasing interest in signing the 26-year-old driver.
Furthermore, Szafnauer argued that even for Verstappen, Red Bull remains the best choice for 2025 and beyond if the team continues to perform at the current level. The Austrian team will remain unchanged for the next season, except for the departure of Adrian Newey. Therefore, there is no real reason for Max Verstappen to leave Milton Keynes at this time.
The 2024 transfer season began with the surprising move of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari. This opened up speculations about possible transfers, including the chances of 17-year-old driver Kimi Antonelli racing for the Silver Arrows. In addition, internal tensions at Red Bull left fans questioning whether Max Verstappen would leave the Austrian team.
Otmar Szafnauer stated that in his 26 years of experience, he had never witnessed such a busy driver market in Formula 1. However, the former team manager insisted that teams needed to set aside such speculations and focus on their efforts to avoid being influenced by what was happening in the paddock.
Undoubtedly, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the F1 grid for 2025, with nearly a dozen drivers without contracts for the upcoming season. It is clear that fans will witness some exciting transfers in the coming months as teams and drivers secure their futures. However, it would be interesting to know Max Verstappen’s thought process for 2025.
