Christian Horners departure leaves F1 wondering what next for Max Verstappen

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Red Bulls Max Verstappen could be driving for Mercedes in the near future.

PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON – Christian Horners 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 last year, has a contract to 2028 but is wanted by both Mercedes and Aston Martin and has performance clauses that make an early exit possible.

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

The champion has scored 165 of his teams 172 points in 12 races so far 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 McLarens 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?

Horner had once been seen as the glue that bound a winning team, the young leader of a group whose success confounded those who dismissed them as just an energy drink brand, and shook up the sport.

Then, after Red Bull won eight drivers titles