Red Bull Boss Breaks Silence on Max Verstappen Future Amid Mercedes Link

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has opened up on the topic of Mercedes’ interest in signing Max Verstappen for the future, revealing that the four-time world champion is “quite annoyed” by the speculation.

It all began after George Russell was asked about his Formula One contract extension with Mercedes, since his current contract expires at the end of 2025. The Briton expressed that talks were on hold considering Mercedes’ ongoing discussions with Verstappen.

Related: Verstappen to Mercedes? Russell Reveals Talks As His Contract Remains Up In The Air

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff did not deny the interest, despite his failed attempts to have Verstappen on board last year, before he signed Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko cleared the air by saying that Verstappen, whose Red Bull contract expires at the end of 2028, wasn’t going anywhere.

Now, Horner has addressed the “noise,” stating that all reports are mere speculation. He told Sky Sports F1 after the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying session:

“It is a lot of noise. I think Max gets quite annoyed by it. We are very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028. So, anything is entirely speculative that is being said, but we tend not to pay too much attention to it.”

When asked if the speculation was a deliberate attempt by Mercedes to upset Red Bull’s home race at the Red Bull Ring, Horner said:

“I can imagine that George is frustrated he hasn’t been given a contract yet, but that’s between him and his team.

“The situation with Max, we know clearly where we’re at and obviously as does Max.

“Everything is subject to noise and, obviously, within any contract it remains confidential between the parties.”

Though Verstappen’s stance on his F1 future with Red Bull is clear, Wolff stated that he was considering him for the long-term future. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:

“I think when you look at the situation we have with Kimi [Antonelli] and George, we have a perfect line-up that we very much enjoy, that we believe is the future.

“But at the same time, there is a four-time World Champion that needs to decide what he’s going to do in the future, and that is just, as a team principal, you need to see where that is going.

“But I think I give it a very little probability that this is going to happen.”

When asked if the little probability of having Verstappen in Mercedes was for 2026 or the long-term future, he said:

“I don’t know what’s going to be in three or five years.

“That’s why you need to look at what should be considered on the long term.”

He added:

“Nothing needs, in a way, to come towards favourable for us, because with George and Kimi is what we want to be and what we want to continue.

“But, in order to plan right for the long term of the future, you’ve got to understand what other people do.”