Christian Horner is preparing for it: "One day there will be no more Max."

From denial to acceptance, Christian Horner may be slowly coming to terms with the loss of Max Verstappen in Red Bull. If the Dutchman remains impassive in the face of rumors of a possible departure from the Austrian team for Mercedes, his Team Principal is open to the possibility of ending his collaboration with the four-time world champion.

"Whether it's next year or the year after, one day Max will be gone, admits Christian Horner. I hope it will be in several years, but you never know. We must always be interested in young talent, give them opportunities, as we did with Arvid Lindblad to prepare for the next generation." The 17-year-old Briton finished 14th in free practice 1, half a second behind Max Verstappen.

"There is no guarantee that climbing into a Mercedes means being in a better position."

Regarding a possible replacement, Christian Horner does not rule out George Russell, whose seat could be occupied by the Dutchman. “It’s crazy that George [Russell] is still on the market. We haven’t had any talks. It seems certain that he will stay where he is. Otherwise, we have talent in our ranks. We have the Racing Bulls team. [Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, Editor’s note.] and Arvid Lindblad.

Although this speech serves his interests, Horner implicitly reminds his driver of the stakes of a possible transfer. If Mercedes is known for having dominated the last engine revolution with the arrival of the V6 hybrids in 2014, "There is no guarantee that finally climbing into a Mercedes automatically means being in a better position in 2026." according to the Briton. The current Constructors' Championship is proof of this: the Brackley team is dominated by McLaren, his client stable.

Perhaps accepting the inevitable departure of Max Verstappen is the best way to avoid trauma for Horner, who saw Sebastian Vettel leave Red Bull for Ferrari in 2015. "He was offered a dream at Ferrari and he decided that would be his next adventure. I remember that Dietrich Mateschitz [founder of Red Bull, Editor's note] told me, 'We don't need the best driver if we don't have the best car.'"

Christian Horner remains confident about Red Bull's future as it moves into transition phase

After dominating the aerodynamic regulations introduced in 2022, Red Bull finds itself relegated to the third or fourth force on the grid. The bill could be even steeper without Max Verstappen saving the day and boosting the RB21's performance. In 2026, the Austrian firm will lose its engine supplier, Honda, to Aston Martin, the team that also poached the aerodynamicist behind its most dominant single-seaters: Adrian Newey.

A transition phase that does not worry Christian Horner, in his twentieth year with the Milton Keynes team: "Sport is made of cycles. We've had two excellent ones and now we hope to have another. It would be embarrassing for Mercedes to imagine us ahead of them, but I think we'll be in a competitive position."

Badged Ford, the engine of the single-seaters that will succeed the RB21 will be produced by the new Red Bull Powertrains factory, partly composed of engineers from the – soon to be over – collaboration with Honda. A nascent formation that could raise doubts for Max Verstappen, but which Christian Horner considers an asset: " Having chassis and engine engineers under the same roof, able to communicate directly over coffee in the same factory, will eventually pay off. Maybe not in 2026, but for 2027 and beyond, it's the right thing to do in the long run." Certainly, but with which drivers at the wheel?

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