Horner hopes Verstappen remains with Red Bull long term

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hopes world champion Max Verstappen remains with the team for the long term.

Verstappen will this year enter his sixth full season with Red Bull, having joined Daniel Ricciardo at the team midway through 2016.

He made his debut at the start of 2015, becoming the sport’s youngest-ever full-time competitor at just 17 year of age.

The Dutchman won on debut for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, and has since delivered 19 more grand prix victories – 10 of them coming last year.

It was a performance which resulted in him claiming last year’s world championship and the team’s first since 2013.

“I love what I’m doing and I love being part of the team,” said Verstappen.

“I already said it on the radio in the in-lap [in Abu Dhabi], I want to do this with this team for another 10 to 15 years.

“Hopefully within those years, of course, we can win more championships because that’s always been the goal.”

Horner is equally enthused to keep the youngster long-term.

Still just 24 years old, it’s realistic to suggest Verstappen has another decade of F1 competition ahead of him.

And while the on-track success is a key component in why the relationship with Red Bull has blossomed, it’s only part of the puzzle when it comes to keeping the world champion on the books, suggests Horner.

“Relationships, I think, are not about contracts, it is exactly about relationships,” he suggested.

“And Max, he came into the team as almost a boy and he’s grown into a young man, and he’s grown with the team.

“I think that the relationship that we share, the trust that we share in each other, is worth more than any piece of paper.

“I look forward to racing with Max for many years to come, and I believe that the best years are very much still to come.”

Verstappen, who will carry #1 on his car throughout 2022, currently has a deal in place that runs until the end of 2023.