Horner insists Verstappen ‘would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car’ amid Mercedes rumours

Christian Horner has stated that Max Verstappen “would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car” with the team boss insisting that the squad “know where we’re at” amid continued rumours linking the Dutchman to Mercedes.

Verstappen had remained tight-lipped when asked about his future during Thursday’s media day, the four-time World Champion responding to questions by answering: “I have nothing to add.”

Horner faced similar queries when speaking to the press on Friday and, when quizzed on what Verstappen had said to him about the situation, the Red Bull Team Principal said: “There’s obviously an awful a lot of people talking about it, but what’s most important is the relationship between the driver and the team, and obviously there’s an agreement that defines that as well.

“Everybody’s very clear on where we’re at. Max has been with Red Bull since the very start of his career, all of his success has come in Red Bull Racing cars, and he’s been a big part of our team and he has a great deal of faith in the team and the people around him.

“Whilst there’s always going to be speculation and noise, I think we all sit fairly comfortable with where we’re at and what the situation is. We can’t control the narrative of others, but internally we know where we’re at.”

Asked if there was a plan B in place should Verstappen choose to leave, Horner joked in response, with McLaren CEO Zak Brown next to him in the press conference: “Oscar Piastri! It’s all as subjective as that. We’re very focused on our current drivers and the relationship, Max has got a contract until 2028.

“He’s made it quite clear that he would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car, from start to finish – I think that’s quite special and unique for him. That’s what we’re focused on, just ignoring the noise and focusing on the areas where we know we need to improve and how to do that.”

Horner went on to suggest that the speculation has its roots in the fact that George Russell is yet to sign a new deal with Mercedes.

“The contracts between the drivers and the teams are always going to remain confidential, and with any driver’s contract there is always an element of a performance mechanism and of course that exists within Max’s contract,” the Briton said.

“His intention is that he will be there driving for us in 2026. It’s inevitable that he’s of huge interest to any other team in the pit lane, and I think actually George probably triggered all of this speculation, probably trying to leverage his own situation and force clarity, which you can understand because he’s driven a very good season as well this year.

“But inevitably there will always be speculation about it. I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team, and that’s very clear.”

And in terms of whether Russell would be a realistic candidate for Red Bull if Verstappen was to leave, Horner added: “It’s remarkable that George is still on the market. We haven’t engaged in any discussion with George, so he’s obviously pretty confident that he’s going to get to retain where he is.

“We’ve got strength and depth within our team; you can see the Racing Bulls drivers, you can see [Arvid] Lindblad that we’re running today. And 2026 is going to be a transformational year, the biggest rule change in Formula 1 probably in the last 50 years with both chassis and power unit [changes] being introduced at the same time.

“Nobody with hand on heart can know what the pecking order is going to be – it could be either one of these gentleman [McLaren’s Brown and Aston Martin’s Andy Cowell] sat next to me, it could be Ferrari, it could be Mercedes, it could be anyone.

“I think there’s an awful lot of subjectiveness to 2026, and it will only be this time next year that you’ll have a clear indication of what that pecking order is. There are no guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be a better proposition.”