Raymond Vermeulen, Max Verstappen's manager, has issued a statement following the departure of team principal Christian Horner. He declared that it was 'up to Red Bull to provide further explanation', insisting that the reigning world champion's focus will remain on on-track matters.

News of Horner's sacking broke on Wednesday, with Red Bull leadership taking the decision to remove the team principal from his position after 20 years in the role. This comes during a turbulent season for the Milton Keynes squad, who head into the Belgian Grand Prix fourth in the Constructors' Championship standings, 288 points behind runaway leaders McLaren. Offering the perspective of the Verstappen camp, manager Vermeulen told De Telegraaf: "We were informed in advance by Red Bull's management that this decision had been made.

It's up to Red Bull to provide further explanation regarding the reasons. We continue to look at the sporting side and are looking for more performance so we can return to the top. In that respect, nothing will change."

Verstappen's future has been at the centre of the Red Bull drama in 2025. The Dutchman heads into the Belgian Grand Prix with a 69-point deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri and just two race victories to his name this season. Worse still, the RB21's performance has only been heading in the wrong direction, despite consistent upgrades to the car.

With Red Bull's engine project set to debut in 2026 at the inception of the new technical regulations, there are doubts about whether the eight-time world champions can return to their former glory in the short term. With Mercedes interested in bringing Verstappen on board at Brackley, the 27-year-old's future in Milton Keynes is no longer guaranteed.

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The man tasked with keeping Verstappen put is Laurent Mekies. The Frenchman was previously on the Ferrari pit wall before moving to Racing Bulls, where he served as team principal. Should Red Bull lose their star man, the 48-year-old will be well-placed to name a successor, having worked with Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar over the past six months.

"The last year and a half has been an absolute privilege to lead the team with Peter [Bayer, executive director]. It has been an amazing adventure to contribute to the birth of Racing Bulls together with all our talented people.

"The spirit of the whole team is incredible, and I strongly believe that this is just the beginning. Alan is the perfect man to take over now and continue our path. He knows the team inside out and has always been an important pillar of our early successes."