Amid Mercedes’ public Max Verstappen pursuit, Christian Horner takes a savage dig at George Russell

George Russell raised some eyebrows earlier this week after making major Max Verstappen claim. The Mercedes driver stated how his new contract extension was being held by Verstappen. The Dutchman has been a hot topic of discussion in the with Toto Wolff also expressing his public willingness to sign the 4-time F1 champion.

Natutally, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was unimpressed by the talk inside the paddock. Horner emphasised how Red Bull and Max Verstappen are clear about their contract situation. He also took a savage jibe at George Russell at expense of his uncertain contract situation.

When asked about Verstappen's future at the Austrian Grand Prix, Horner stated: (Quotes by SkySports F1)

“Well, it’s a lot of noise. I think Max gets quite annoyed by it and we’re very clear with the contract we have with Max till 2028. So, anything is entirely speculative. But yeah, we tend to not pay too much attention."

Horner was also asked about the Silver Arrows' Verstappen pursuit to which he replied,

"Well, I can imagine George is frustrated he hasn’t been given a contract yet. So, it’s between him and his team and you know, the situation with Max, we know clearly where we’re at and as does Max."

Max Verstappen qualified for the Austrian GP qualifying in P7 with a rather timid performance. His lap wasn't aided by a marginal yellow flag call as well, which forced him to abandon the final approach.

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Red Bull star Max Verstappen labels the car "undrivable" at the Austrian GP qualifying

Things quickly turned bad to worse for Red Bull as Max Verstappen could only muster a P7 finish in qualifying. This came after the Dutch driver's teammate, Yuki Tsunoda finished P18. The Japanese driver recorded Red Bull's worst-ever quali performance at the Austrian track.

The 27-year-old then went on to criticise the car publicly on his team radio. Verstappen said,

"Yeah, the car is completely undrivable. I have no grip, it's even worse than before."

Verstappen had not qualified outside the top-5 in the last 6 races. He equalled his worst qualifying performance of the season, with the previous coming in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Lando Norris, however, put on a dominant display as he grabbed pole position by more than half a second from second-placed Charles Leclerc. Championship leader Piastri scrapped through to earn a P3 position with Lewis Hamilton finishing just behind him.

The Austrian GP is the perfect opportunity for Norris to cut down the deficit to his team, especially after Miami GP disaster.