Mercedes want to lure Max Verstappen away from Red Bull and Christian Horner has warned the four-time Formula 1 champion that switching teams could backfire badly

Christian Horner thinks Max Verstappen will stick with Red Bull(Image: AP)

Christian Horner is confident that star driver Max Verstappen intends to remain with Red Bull next year. But he also took the opportunity to warn the Dutchman that the grass is not always greener on the other side, amid speculation he could quit for rivals Mercedes.

Four-time Formula 1 champion Verstappen looks set to lose his crown this year with Red Bull unable to compete with dominant force McLaren. And at Silverstone on Thursday he declined to state definitively that he will drive for Red Bull Racing in 2026 when asked by Mirror Sport.

Red Bull concede Verstappen has contract clauses which might allow him to leave, but team boss Horner said on Friday he has “clarity” over his driver’s situation. He said: “With any driver’s contract, there is an element of a performance mechanism and, of course, that exists within Max’s contract.

“His intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026. It’s inevitable that he’s of huge interest to any other team in the pit lane. Inevitably, there will always be speculation about it. I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team and that’s very clear.”

Like Red Bull, Mercedes are also not in title contention this year. But the Silver Arrows are confident that, like they did in 2014 at the time of the last major engine regulations change, they could emerge as the dominant force again when new power units are introduced next year.

That would be attractive to Verstappen who will consistently want a car that can win races and championships, but Horner reminded his driver that there is no guarantee Mercedes will fare any better than Red Bull who in 2026, for the first time, will use engines they designed and built themselves.

He said: “Nobody can know what the pecking order is going to be, so there’s an awful lot of subjectiveness to 2026 and it’ll only be this time next year that we’ll have a clear indication of what that pecking order is. So there are no guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be a better proposition.”

George Russell is the most likely driver to be cut loose by Mercedes if they were to sign Verstappen, despite his strong 2025 season so far. The Brit is currently out of contract at the end of the year and would be the obvious candidate for Red Bull to turn to if they needed a replacement, though Horner said there have been no talks up to now.

He said: “It’s remarkable that George is still on the market. We haven’t engaged in any discussion with George, so he’s obviously pretty confident that he’s going to remain where he is.” Horner ruled out an ambitious swoop for either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, the two title contenders dominating the grid this year.

And McLaren boss Zak Brown, sitting next to Horner, made it clear he does not expect to lose either of his drivers or to have to make a play for Verstappen himself. The American said: “Yeah, our drivers aren’t going anywhere. They’re very happy, we’re very happy, so there’s no need to look at any other drivers on the grid.”