Max Verstappen: The boss of Red Bull, Christian Horner, says that he thinks that his driver will be “bored” by the “noise” connecting it to Mercedes | F1 News

The director of the Red Bull team, Christian Horner, says that he thinks that Max Verstappen will be “bored” by the “noise” connecting the defending world champion to a move to Mercedes.

Mercedes driver George Russell said Sky Sports F1 On Thursday, he thought that his own contract extension was retained by the team’s attempts to sign Verstappen de Red Bull, before the boss of Silver Arrows, Toto Wolff, only admitted “conversations” continue with the Dutch camp.

Verstappen, who has been world champion in each of the last four seasons, has been contracted in Red Bull until 2028, but there are clauses in the agreement that could lead to previous release.

Talk to Sky Sports F1 After the Austrian Grand Prix qualified on Saturday, Horner said: “It’s a lot of noise. I think Max is quite bored.

“We are very clear with the contract we have with Max until 2028.

“So everything is completely speculative that is said, but we tend not to pay too much attention to it.”

When he was asked if he suspected that Mercedes intentionally tried to destabilize Red Bull during the team’s home event in Spielberg, Horner said he thought Russell would be really “frustrated” for not having received a new contract.

Horner added: “I can imagine that George is frustrated, he has not yet received a contract, but it is between him and his team.

“The situation with Max, we clearly know where we are and obviously like Max.

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

Wolff publicly courted Verstappen last year after Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari, but until this weekend, he suggested that he no longer pursued the 27-year-old man.

The future of Verstappen with Red Bull seemed to be in doubt when his father Jos had a large part of Horner last year, but relations between the driver’s camp and the team’s hierarchy that seem to have stabilized.

The decisive factor in the future of Verstappen is probably where he believes that he is most likely to win more championships, with a paddock chatter suggesting that Mercedes could have stolen from their competitors in the development of new engines that will be presented in sport next year.

It remains to be seen if he would plan to leave Red Bull at the end of this season or to assess the competitive image for the first year of the new radical regulations.

Chandhok expects Verstappen to assess the options in 2026

Sky Sports F1 Karun Chandhok thinks that Verstappen will remain in Red Bull in 2026 before moving in 2027 if it feels that a better option is available.

Chandhok said: “We do not know what the thresholds are concerning the Red Bull contract itself, but if you were Max Verstappen, you would watch the performance of the best teams next year, then choose where you want to go to the future.

“Because I think one of the gate teams would like to have a max in the car. He is the driver outside recent times.

“And on the side of Max, the new generation of food rules and units could set the tone for the next five or six years, as what happened with Lewis in 2014.

“For next year, there is a little current dance where people are trying to assess the situation. And then for 2027, the market could go completely crazy.”

Austrian GP schedule of Sky Sports F1

Sunday June 29
7:25 am: F3 functionalities race
8:55 am: F2 functionality breed
10:40 am: Porsche Supercup
12:30 p.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: Austria GP Build-Up *
2 p.m.: The Austrian Grand Prix *
4 p.m.: Checkered flag: Austrian GP reaction *
5 p.m.: Ted’s notebook

* Also on the main event of Sky Sports

The next step for the Formula 1 2025 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with now – no contract, cancel at any time.