Door to Mercedes still open for Max Verstappen as driver yet to commit future to Red Bull: Reports

Red Bull's sacking of Christian Horner was assumed by many to be an attempt to halt Max Verstappen shifting to Mercedes, but the latest reports have proved this thesis wrong. The path to move to Brackley was understood to be open for the Dutchman, as reportedly, he was yet to confirm his loyalty to the Austrian squad.

In 2014, Mercedes and Red Bull made bids to tempt the young Dutchman to join their driver development programme, but the Austrian giant prevailed. Though Toto Wolff met failure that day, the Austrian has been on a pursuit to correct his mistake by trying to lure away Verstappen from Milton Keynes by any means.

However, Christian Horner's axing was earlier reckoned to be due to the rifts popping up between him and the Verstappen camp. Though it was assumed to be a last resort to fend off any threats of losing the Dutchman, this did not seem to be the case, according to De Telegraaf.

This leaves the driver market wide open, as Verstappen has an open seat to fight for at Mercedes. Meaning, the German squad was still in the fight to secure the Dutchman's services, as reports about any update in Mercedes-Verstappen negotiations flood in daily.

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What does Max Verstappen have to say in light of speculations of a switch to Mercedes?

Max Verstappen's Red Bull at the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Source: Getty

Red Bull gave Max Verstappen his first crack at F1 at the age of 17 with Toro Rosso. He was then promoted to the senior team in the subsequent year, a move that has proven itself in the test of time.

Moreover, with the Mercedes rumors looming around in the paddock, the British GP became the site of Verstappen's disapproval of such speculations, as he delivered a frustrated message on such statements, via Formula 1:

"I have nothing to add. What I said last week. Other people write stuff, that's great but it's not for me. You can always say the grass is always greener on the other side, that's what they say right? I think you always have to just stay calm, enjoy also what you're doing because I think up until now I've had a lot of success and of course this season is maybe not what we wanted as a team but that can happen as well.

"Sometimes you just have to try and accept that as well. Other people make up more stories but that's not for me. I know what I have, I know what I can do and that's fine."

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen sits third in the Drivers' championship table, as the McLaren drivers increased their gap to the Dutchman at the British GP.