Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen said Christian Horner's sacking as Red Bull boss would make no difference to decisions about his own future and the team still felt like a second family.

Horner's dismissal this month ended a 20-year tenure and fueled speculation about Verstappen, with Mercedes already interested in securing the four-time world champion.

"Management decided they wanted to steer the ship in a different direction probably," the Dutch driver, relaxed and smiling, told reporters at the Belgian Grand Prix on Thursday.