Max Verstappen protection theory raised after Christian Horner exit

Former F1 driver Gerhard Berger has raised the theory that the departure of Christian Horner at Red Bull was done to protect the services of Max Verstappen.

It was announced on Wednesday morning that Horner and Red Bull had parted ways after over 20 years together, in which the Briton led the outfit to six constructors' titles and eight drivers' championships. 

However, it was deemed that change was required, with Laurent Mekies having been promoted to replace Horner as team principal and CEO.

Horner's exit fell at a similar time to intensifying rumours linking Verstappen to a move to Mercedes, with Berger wondering if this was tied to the change of team boss.

"That could certainly have been one of the factors that tipped the scales," Berger told Krone Zeitung. 

"Because as we know, the Verstappens and Horner were not the best of friends. I do think Max will stay at Red Bull."

For some, the timing of Horner's exit has come as a surprise, given two races still remain in Belgium and Hungary before the summer break. 

However, Berger believes there were already signs that a big change was on the cards for the Austrian outfit.

Asked if the timing of Horner's exit surprised him, Berger answered: "You could see it was going this way at Red Bull Racing. 

"If Horner was really surprised, that's a bad sign, because even as an outsider you could have guessed it."

Despite the change of leadership, Berger still rules Verstappen out of the drivers' title, with Mekies target being to "rebuild the team".

"It's much more about stabilising the whole team at the moment and getting Max Verstappen back into it properly," said Berger. 

"Red Bull Racing is currently in a downward spiral. Now the goal should be to rebuild the team properly."