Speaking in Spielberg, Austria, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that the recent rumours connecting four-time world champion Max Verstappen to Mercedes have “annoyed” the driver during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had confirmed his interest in Verstappen on Friday but later tempered expectations on Saturday, suggesting a “very low probability” of luring the Dutch driver away. Wolff also clarified that any potential move would be a “long-term” prospect, given Verstappen`s current contract with Red Bull runs until 2028.
The speculation gained traction in the Red Bull Ring paddock after Mercedes driver George Russell indicated that his own contract extension talks were being delayed due to his team`s interest in Verstappen.
Horner sought to downplay the situation after qualifying on Saturday, where Verstappen finished only seventh fastest.
“It`s a lot of noise,” Horner commented. “I think Max gets quite annoyed by it. We are very clear about the contract we have with Max until 2028. Anything being said is purely speculative. We generally don`t pay much attention to it.”
“I can understand George`s frustration about not having a contract yet. But that`s between him and his team,” Horner added. “Regarding Max`s situation, we know exactly where we stand, and so does Max. Everything else is just noise, and as with any contract, the details remain confidential between the parties.”
Verstappen qualified seventh for the Austrian Grand Prix after being forced to abandon his fastest lap in the final sector due to yellow flags triggered by Pierre Gasly`s spin.
Currently third in the drivers` standings, 43 points behind leader Oscar Piastri, Verstappen admitted his car was not competitive enough to challenge Lando Norris for pole position on Saturday.
“It would have been close, potentially, up until the yellow flag – but it`s still miles off pole,” Verstappen stated. “In the end, it’s not really that painful.”
“FP3 wasn`t too bad, but somehow in quali it just completely disappeared. There wasn`t a single corner where I felt happy with the car, which is obviously a major problem in qualifying,” he explained.
“Depends how you look at it… I don`t really look at the standings, I just try to perform my best each race weekend. Hopefully tomorrow we can at least be competitive with Ferrari or Mercedes, but I`m unsure because with the balance I had in quali, tomorrow isn`t looking great. We`ll analyse everything.”
Dominic Ashworth