Questions on Max's Future

Champ has no lack of suitors, could leave Red Bull after principal Horner's sacking

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LONDON - Christian Horner's sacking as Red Bull team boss, a seismic moment for the sport despite warning tremors, raises immediate questions about the future of star driver Max Verstappen.

The Dutch driver, who won his fourth title in a row in 2024, has a contract to 2028 but is wanted by both Mercedes and Aston Martin and has performance clauses that make an early exit possible.

Verstappen's importance is fundamental. The most sought-after driver on the grid is an absolute No. 1 in a team struggling to find someone who can get even close to him on the track.

The champion has scored 165 of his team's 172 points in 12 races this season and has had three teammates in less than a year.

But he is only third in the championship, his hopes of a fifth crown this season receding fast with a hefty 69 points now between him and McLaren's leader Oscar Piastri.

If Verstappen leaves, whose seat does he take? Will it be his old Mercedes foe George Russell or Italian 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli? And where will they go?