Piquet Jr retracts his statement regarding Mercedes and Verstappen.

      "That's merely a destination for people vacationing."

      Max Verstappen's future is under significant scrutiny as the Belgian GP approaches this weekend, with team performance issues and internal discord following the surprise mid-season dismissal of Christian Horner. Nelson Piquet Jr, a former F1 driver and the son of three-time world champion Nelson Piquet, as well as the brother of Verstappen's girlfriend Kelly, sparked controversy by suggesting that Verstappen had already made a deal with Mercedes. However, he is now retracting that statement.

      "That's just a place where people go on holiday," Piquet Jr commented on the Pelas Pistas podcast, talking about reports of Verstappen and Mercedes leader Toto Wolff anchoring their yachts next to each other in Sardinia last week. "Max just wants to be where he believes he can win. Does money matter? Naturally, but the key factor is his desire to be in a competitive car.

      "He has only two options: Red Bull and Mercedes," he continued. "At McLaren, both drivers succeed, so yeah..." Regarding Horner's dismissal, he mentioned, "Maybe they let Horner go to keep him (Max) around; I don’t know. Perhaps he’s already signed, but maybe he has said no as well."

      Verstappen is reportedly poised to make a decision about his future by the end of August. Despite being under a long-term contract, Red Bull is not anticipated to obstruct his potential departure, irrespective of any exit clauses.

      McLaren CEO Zak Brown, known for his candid criticism of Horner, remarked to TSN: "The timing may come as a surprise, but not the outcome. There has been a considerable amount of chaos and tension over the past few years; it appears to have intensified."

      Brown added, "Considering his age and his experience in motorsport, I'd be surprised if he (Horner) doesn't reemerge somewhere in the industry. But he might also be interested in managing a football team or pursuing something different."

      The Sun newspaper has reported significant discontent within Red Bull, suggesting that allies of Horner may be responsible for the leaks. One staff member noted, "It was only a day after Christian's firing, and many in the team were still distressed when Mr. (Helmut) Marko spoke to us. He simply made jokes about it and told us to lighten up—he said, 'You need to smile more.'

      "It didn't win him any favors." New Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, part of the recent power shift in Austria following the Dietrich Mateschitz era and working alongside Marko, also faced criticism. "Mintzlaff also said, 'If you have any concerns, just text your line manager,'" a staff member relayed to the tabloid.

      Close family friends of Horner, rumored to be behind impending further leaks, stated that the longtime team principal was caught off guard. "He thought he was called in to discuss a different matter," one individual mentioned, referring to his firing in a London hotel. "He was simply told, 'You have to be there,' and was astonished when he was led into a room and effectively dismissed on the spot."