Christian Horner dismissed any doubt about his future as Red Bull team boss on Saturday after watching Max Verstappen lead Sergio Perez home to a resounding top-two finish in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 50-year-old Briton, who has led Red Bull to six constructors' championship titles and seven drivers' titles since 2005, said their overall success was due to the team's unity and work.
He said: “Getting first place in this way is the perfect solution and you cannot achieve this without being completely united, having a strong team and great support from partners and shareholders.”
“You can't achieve this without being united.”
When asked by Sky Sports if he was sure he had the support of Red Bull's owners – including majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya who was with him in Bahrain – and was sure he would race in next weekend's Saudi Grand Prix, he answered confidently.
“Support? Sure, yeah. And I'll be there. Otherwise I wouldn't be here!”
Horner's position with Red Bull has been the subject of intense speculation in recent days after an anonymous email to Formula 1 staff and the media on Thursday included messages he allegedly sent to a female team member.
This followed an announcement on Wednesday clearing him of alleged inappropriate behavior following an internal investigation into complaints – which he flatly denied – against him.
“This is the perfect start,” said Horner, who arrived at the Sakhir circuit alongside his ex-wife, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.
“Dominant racing. I have to say thank you to all the men and women in Milton Keynes who have worked so hard this winter and come out with another fantastic car.
“It's a testament to the hard work that's going on behind the scenes. It's been a fantastic team performance. The car you can see is a solid development and the design team, the whole team, has done a fantastic job.”
“They didn't rest on their laurels. They did their best, they pushed the boundaries, and you can see a lot of innovative ideas in the car.”
Last year, Red Bull won 21 of 22 races, with the team dominating the races.
“It's a great stat, but for once on one track and one surface. It was absolutely fantastic. Next week is a street track with much higher temperatures.
“We have to see three, four or five races before we see the real pattern. You can't rely too much on one race.”
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