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Red Bull boss Christian Horner seems ready for a battle, as he has openly proclaimed that he wants to make the McLaren fans cry on Sunday. The fighting words come from the team boss on a weekend where speculation is rife around the future of the team's superstar, Max Verstappen, who appears to be having a few conversations with Mercedes.
At the start of the race weekend, Mercedes driver George Russell revealed that the reason behind the delay in his contract extension has been Toto Wolff having conversations with Max Verstappen for a potential partnership. While this continues, the race is in Austria, where Red Bull has been very successful.
The event is the team's home race, and Max Verstappen has won it 5 times over the years. Going into the weekend, Christian Horner himself seems charged up and ready for a fight.
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Talking to Kleine Zeitung, the team boss emphatically claimed that Red Bull's goal this weekend was to make McLaren fans cry on Sunday. He said:
"Austria is like a home race for us. And finally, there aren't as many McLaren fans here as elsewhere. And our goal is to make those who are there cry on Sunday because we were better."
The Austrian team has been a force to reckon with around Austria, and the team has brought a set of upgrades. Whether the team will be able to do something about McLaren is something that'll be worth keeping an eye on.
Red Bull boss reveals extensive upgrade plan
While Red Bull is trailing McLaren in terms of performance at the moment, Horner is not giving up. The team boss revealed that the team was all in on 2025 and multiple upgrades were planned and in the pipeline for the rest of the season in a bid to help Max Verstappen close down the gap to Oscar Piastri in the championship.
Talking about the driver and how the team is trying to close down the gap to the rivals, Horner said:
"Max is having an incredible year, he's driving brilliantly. We have an update here in Spielberg and will get another one in Silverstone. And updates are also being planned for races 15 and 16. Sometimes it can help if you only improve by half a tenth."
The season has not been the best for Red Bull in general. This is the first time since 2020 that the team has started a year, and the car is neither the fastest nor within striking distance.
This has led to speculation around team leader Max Verstappen's future, with the driver himself not willing to commit to the team for 2026. With this much speculation around the team, it is certainly not an easy road ahead for Christian Horner, and it would be interesting to see how he approaches the challenge in front of him.
