Max Verstappen has slammed reports of a rift with Red Bull manager Christian Horner, insisting their relationship is “the same as always”.
Horner is currently under investigation for allegations of inappropriate behavior, which he denies, although some in the media have suggested that relations between Verstappen and his boss have deteriorated.
However, Dutch denied such a thing and questioned who would like to write such stories.
Max Verstappen denies falling out with Christian Horner
Verstappen was in Milton Keynes when the team took the covers off the RB20, but there was definitely an investigation into Horner in the room.
Horner himself admitted it was a “distraction”, but Verstappen said he was as focused as ever.
“For me, I'm very focused on getting ready, fit and ready to drive the car,” he told media such as PlanetF1.com. “Discuss what you want to do with the engineer.
“Also, my life is not just about F1. I don't like to think about it too much outside of scheduled training.
“I have a lot going on in the background and things I want to do in the future. I'm also working on the virtual side, so I'm very busy.”
However, the Dutchman said his specific relationship with Horner remains the same.
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“I can tell you that, as always,” he said. “I don't know who likes to write things like this. Me and Christian are the same as usual.”
As for the car itself, Verstappen looked at its initial plans after the race in Abu Dhabi and said he was happy with the direction the team had chosen.
“When I saw the drawings in Abu Dhabi for the final race of the season, I thought, 'Wow, this is completely different in some ways and definitely conservative,' so I'll put it that way.
“I think what I like about this team is that we had a great package, but they took their chances and gave it their all. Try to improve. Time will tell if it's really, really good, but from what I see within the team, everyone is happy with what we've achieved.”
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