Addressing speculation linking his star driver Max Verstappen to rivals Mercedes, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner robustly defended his team`s capabilities. He asserted that Red Bull hasn`t “suddenly become idiots overnight,” providing context for why the reigning world champion would choose to remain with them.
Verstappen`s dominant run of four consecutive driver`s titles appears likely to conclude this year. McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have established a clear lead in the standings as the season approaches its halfway point.
Adding to the transfer rumors, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed on Friday he was in “conversations” about potentially signing Verstappen, despite the Dutch driver being under contract with Red Bull until the close of the 2028 season.
Speaking after the Austrian Grand Prix, where Verstappen retired early due to a first-lap incident, Horner explained his confidence in the team`s ability to retain the 27-year-old`s faith.
He stated, “I still believe in the deep strength of this team.”
“Unfortunately, we haven`t achieved the performance levels we desire. We are nearing the end of this regulatory period, and I believe we are hindered by some of our current tools.”
“However, it`s the same core group that designed a car winning all but one Grand Prix just 18 months ago,” Horner emphasized. “They didn`t just become incompetent overnight.”
He also acknowledged McLaren`s strong performance, saying, “You have to acknowledge the great job that McLaren is doing, and congratulations to them.”
Horner Dismisses Mercedes` Interest, Cites Their Issues
Mercedes had publicly shown interest in Verstappen last year after Lewis Hamilton`s significant decision to move to Ferrari for 2025. Wolff had later suggested he was no longer pursuing the driver.
However, Mercedes driver George Russell recently implied his own contract discussions were paused while the team assessed their chances of signing Verstappen, a statement Wolff broadly confirmed as accurate.
Considering that Red Bull`s other driver, Yuki Tsunoda, finished last among cars that completed the Austrian race, Horner was asked about the difficulty of such a poor home race result amid the Verstappen speculation.
Horner responded pointedly, “I think they [Mercedes] have got their own problems. Today, they finished 62 seconds behind the race winner.”
He added, “As for us, we are focused internally. We understand the situation with Max and his contract. All the rest is just external noise.”
Horner described Tsunoda`s performance in the race as “horrible” and admitted the team is still trying to understand why Verstappen`s recent teammates have consistently struggled to match his performance level.
“Yuki had a horrible race,” Horner reiterated.
He elaborated on Tsunoda`s difficulties, saying, “Again, things went wrong for him starting with Q1 yesterday. His first Q1 run was okay, but on the second, he made a mistake at Turn One, which led to a poor qualifying position. He then got stuck in traffic during the race, couldn`t overtake, and incurred a penalty. It just escalated the problems.”
Horner stated, “We will, of course, look at how we can support him, but there`s a significant performance difference between the two cars. Internally, we are asking the same questions everyone else is about why this gap exists. The car has naturally evolved in a particular direction over the years.”
“We hope to help Yuki and help him regain his confidence at Silverstone,” he concluded.
Verstappen Accepts Title Hopes Are Fading
Following his collision with Mercedes` Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap on Sunday – an incident marking his first retirement in 32 races – Verstappen now trails the championship leader by 61 points.
Verstappen had already expressed in recent races that he didn`t feel genuinely involved in this year`s title battle due to McLaren`s strength. After the costly result on Sunday, the Dutchman commented, “Hopefully, people won`t mention it too much anymore then.”
“We always try our best,” he stated. “My mindset hasn`t changed. We`ve achieved many wins in the past.”
“Sometimes you have to accept when you`re not winning, and we will just focus on doing the best we can.”
Gilbert Pendleton 
Wesley Dunham