Max Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen has responded to Christian Horner's departure from Red Bull Racing, making clear that the world champion's camp will not be drawn into the controversy surrounding the team principal's dismissal.
Vermeulen confirmed that Red Bull's senior management had briefed him about the decision before it became public.
"We were briefed in advance by Red Bull's management that this decision had been made," Vermeulen told De Telegraaf.
He stressed that the decision was an internal matter for Red Bull GmbH and declined to comment on the reasons behind it.
Max Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen has responded to Christian Horner's departure from Red Bull Racing, making clear that the world champion's camp will not be drawn into the controversy surrounding the team principal's dismissal
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"It's up to Red Bull to provide further explanation regarding the reasons," he added.
"We continue to focus on the sporting side and are looking for more performance, so we can return to the top. In that regard, nothing changes."
Horner's dismissal was announced on Wednesday morning, ending his tenure of more than two decades with the Milton Keynes-based team.
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Max Verstappen and Christian Horner achieved plenty of success together at Red Bull
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The decision followed consultations between shareholders Chalerm Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz, alongside Red Bull's head of sport Oliver Mintzlaff.
The timing comes as Red Bull faces significant challenges, with the team currently languishing in fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. The organisation has also been rocked by a series of high-profile exits in recent months.
Key departures include design genius Adrian Newey, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and head of strategy Will Courtenay.
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Horner had led the team since 2005, overseeing championship victories with both Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Former Red Bull chief Richard Hopkins has expressed shock at Horner's departure, meanwhile, despite acknowledging the political turmoil that has engulfed the team.
"There has been a lot of politics going on for a good 12 months or so. That being said, I am shocked," he told Casino.co.uk.
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"He's been been there for 20 years and when you look at the success for the team over those years, he's done an amazing job, taking over the team from Jaguar and creating success.
"On paper he's done a great job and in an ordinary world, you would question why he was departing, but there has obviously been a lot of politics happening, a lot of things behind the scenes that have not necessarily been aired in public. I'm sure that, internally, it's no surprise at all.
"He's built a good team, and that team he hired built success with the team. He's not a technical person, he's not hands-on day-to-day with the team.
Christian Horner has lost his job at Red Bull after 20 years in the role of team principal
GETTY"Christian, by his own admission, doesn't necessarily have all the skills, but he's hired well with Adrian being in the team, Paul Monaghan and so on.
"I don't think the timing is strange. CEOs in the corporate world can go at a moment's notice. There were reasons and they were acted upon."
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