Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner would have been one of the most uncomfortable people in the paddock after the Austrian Grand Prix.

Christian Horner could only watch on as Max Verstappen was crashed into on the first lap by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Yuki Tsunoda trundled home in last place.

It meant that for only the second time in Red Bull’s history, they failed to score points at the Austrian Grand Prix in front of their home crowd.

On the previous occasion in 2020, Verstappen retired with an electrical fault, while Alex Albon was taken out in the closing stages by Lewis Hamilton as he tried to secure the first podium finish of his career.

Both of those issues were out of Horner’s control, but this year’s race at the Red Bull Ring was far more worrying.

Tsunoda’s F1 future is hanging in the balance after yet again failing to score a point for the team.

Red Bull sit fourth in the constructors’ championship and would be last were it not for Verstappen’s heroics.

Links between Verstappen and Mercedes are getting stronger, and while Horner has batted away those questions, Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz was left perplexed by one statement he made in the Austrian paddock.

Photo by JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images

Ted Kravitz questions Christian Horner statement on Max Verstappen

Kravitz was speaking on Ted’s Notebook and when discussing Red Bull’s fortunes and the future of the team, he explained: “If you’re Christian Horner, you’re thinking, the Piranha Club is well and truly alive and well, isn’t it?

“Are they just trying to hurt us or embarrass us about George [Russell] revealing that Mercedes are having talks with Max’s management at our home race?

“Can we not just enjoy our home race without someone at Mercedes trying to embarrass us with some stealing Max chat?

“So, that’s why I asked him about it, Christian Horner batted it away and said, ‘Well, Max is quite irritated about it,’ which itself demanded the question, well, hang on, if Max’s management as we think have confirmed that there are some talks with Mercedes, then is Max not happy with his own management talking to Mercedes?

“And anyway, isn’t Max’s management’s job to talk to absolutely everybody? I think that’s also true; we can conclude.

“Max’s management has to talk to everybody just to sound out the potential drives available.

“It might be for after 2028, when, of course, Max Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull Racing.

“I guess if Max was annoyed about it, he could tell his management not to talk to Mercedes.

“At some point, is Max going to go to Mercedes? Well, we will have to see. Will it be before his contract ends with Red Bull? Well, that would be a turnup for the books, but nothing is impossible.”

Christian Horner’s Austrian Grand Prix comments prompt F1 fans to tell Max Verstappen to leave Red Bull

As Kravitz mentioned above, Verstappen’s contract runs until the end of the 2028 Formula 1 season.

Only a handful of drivers are ever given a contract of that length, highlighting the 27-year-old’s importance to Red Bull.

However, the team appear to have reached a stagnation point, with updates rarely making any sort of positive impact.

Fans believe Verstappen should look for a new team after Horner’s post-race comments, believing that even he has lost faith in their ability to win championships.

Next season could see a seismic shift in the pecking order in the paddock, and Red Bull have more unknowns to deal with than many of their rivals.

It will be the first time they’ve prepared for a new era of the sport without Adrian Newey, and the Red Bull Powertrains project will finally make its public debut.

Verstappen, therefore, has every right to consider using his get-out clause if he thinks the grass is greener elsewhere in the paddock.