Christian Horner nearly lost Max Verstappen after just two years at Red Bull, ‘things weren’t looking good’

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Max Verstappen recently confirmed that he would stay with Red Bull for the 2026 Formula 1 season. Speaking on the eve of the summer break at the Hungarian Grand Prix, he finally quashed any doubt over his immediate future.

Verstappen held talks with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, though the move was never considered likely in the short term. He retains faith in Red Bull for the 2026 regulation changes.

As he’s stated multiple times, Verstappen would like to finish his career at Red Bull. He’s formed an emotional bond with the team, who took an unprecedented leap of faith by handing him an F1 seat at 17.

However, the partnership will only continue as long as Verstappen feels he can win at Milton Keynes. He had to wait until his fifth full season with the team to lift the championship trophy, and there were moments where his faith wavered.

Max Verstappen pondered 2017 Red Bull exit over poor reliability

Verstappen joined Red Bull before the fifth round of the 2016 season and memorably won on his debut. He added another six podiums before the year was out.

But 2017, his first full campaign with the team, started poorly. Verstappen scored just 67 points in the first nine rounds.

That sequence included five retirements, three of which were caused by car failures. A battery problem ended his race in Canada, and another power unit issue cut his Azerbaijan GP short.

Verstappen would also drop out at Spa after losing power, and according to De Telegraaf, ‘things weren’t looking good’ regarding his future. The ‘frequently popping Renault engine’ made him consider an exit.

Christian Horner was fiercely critical of Renault, but Red Bull were set to continue with the underperforming French manufacturer into 2018. Ferrari were the only team who looked capable of stopping the Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes juggernaut.

While the emerging superstar no doubt attracted interest, Red Bull successfully persuaded Verstappen to extend his deal until the end of the 2020 season.

‘It reminds me of my brother’ – Ralf Schumacher on Max Verstappen at Red Bull

The 2017 season marks the last time Verstappen lost out to his teammate (Daniel Ricciardo) in the championship. That has now become unthinkable.

Indeed, this year, he and Yuki Tsunoda sit at opposite ends of the table – Verstappen is third, while the March signing is 18th.

• READ MORE: Kimi Raikkonen’s ‘scary’ verdict on Max Verstappen after he won his first Formula 1 race in 2016

Verstappen is similar to Michael Schumacher, according to the latter’s brother Ralf, in that he isn’t pushed by the sister car. That lends itself to taking fewer risks.

It’s said that Verstappen’s camp opposed the recent driver carousel on the other side of the garage, which was one of a few grievances with the Horner regime. He’s denied any involvement in the sacking of the long-serving team boss.