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When Christian Horner fronted the media following a nightmare Austrian Grand Prix, he was pressed on one topic above all - the growing speculation linking his star driver to Mercedes. The rumors had been swirling well before the lights went out at Red Bull's home race in Spielberg, but it was after an opening-lap DNF for Max Verstappen that the tension spiked.
Unsurprisingly, Horner dismissed it all as a manufactured distraction.
"It is a lot of noise, and I think Max [Verstappen] gets quite annoyed by it. We are very clear with the contract we have with Max until 2028. Anything is entirely speculative that has been said. We tend to not pay too much attention to it... The situation with Max - we know clearly where we're at, as does Max," the Red Bull team boss told Sky Sports F1.
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But the chatter won't go away. Especially not when it's Mercedes' own driver, George Russell, adding fuel to the fire.
The weekend's rumors arrived on a weekend when Red Bull's performance hit a season low. Verstappen was taken out after a heavy hit from Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli at Turn 3 in the first lap. Meanwhile, McLaren stormed to a 1-2 finish as Oscar Piastri now leads the drivers' standings, and Verstappen, 61 points adrift.
But it was Russell's mid-week comments that increased the noise. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the Briton admitted:
"As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you're going to be back on top you need to make sure you've got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that's what Mercedes are chasing... So, it's only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing."
Especially with his own deal set to expire at the end of 2025, Russell is yet to re-sign and is reportedly a target for Aston Martin. That context wasn't lost on Christian Horner.
"I can imagine George is frustrated that he hasn't been given a contract yet. But that's between him and his team," he added.
Horner also responded to rising speculation about the state of the Milton Keynes-based outfit and its members, and defended it.
"We haven't suddenly become idiots overnight": Christian Horner defends Red Bull's core
Amid the speculation and poor results, Christian Horner was bullish when defending the team's credentials. With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri now sitting P2 and P1 in the Drivers' standings, Red Bull's grip on dominance appears to be slipping. The Constructors' Championship table is even more damning as McLaren leads with 417 points, while Red Bull are in fourth place with 162, 49 points off Mercedes in third.
"It's the same fundamental group of people that 18 months ago designed a car that won every single grand prix bar one. They didn’t suddenly just become idiots overnight," Christian Horner added.
On the other side of the paddock, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hasn't denied the rumors. Far from it. When asked about George Russell's contract situation, he said (via F1):
"Absolutely keen to continue the relationship. Some conversations you just simply need to have, but it doesn't change my fundamental opinion about how the team is going to go forwards."
That "fundamental opinion", of course, now seems to include exploring every possible route to sign Max Verstappen, especially with Lewis Hamilton having joined Ferrari earlier this year.
While Verstappen, for his part, has consistently dismissed any such speculation, the German media house, Auto Motor Und Sport, is reporting that he will stay at the cost of Horner leaving.
With Tsunoda finishing last among the classified finishers in Austria and the team admitting to a lack of pace, questions regarding Christian Horner, stability, competitiveness, and leadership will only intensify. Especially if Verstappen, under contract or not, starts seeing a better future elsewhere.
And as Red Bull limp toward Silverstone, the pressure is no longer just external. It's internal as well.
