Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner knows he has a worrying dilemma on his hands.
The Austrian Grand Prix was supposed to be a happy homecoming for Red Bull.
Unfortunately, the Anglo-Austrian team were one of three teams who failed to score a point on Sunday after an unfortunate series of events across the weekend.
Max Verstappen should have been in contention to start on the front row, but a yellow flag brought out by Pierre Gasly scuppered his final run in qualifying.
Verstappen’s race came to an end before he had even reached the main grandstand in the centre of the track, filled with Dutch fans, after a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Yuki Tsunoda failed to get out of Q1, and his race was over once he spun Alpine driver Franco Colapinto and damaged his front wing.
The Japanese driver finished last, with team principal Christian Horner forced to face the press after the worst possible outcome for his team.
Helmut Marko isn’t worried about Verstappen’s Red Bull future, but plenty of fans think the team should be.
Horner’s comments after the race prompted a group of the team’s supporters to declare that the four-time world champion would be better off elsewhere next season.
Photo by JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images
Christian Horner calls Max Verstappen’s F1 championship hopes ‘unrealistic’ after the Austrian Grand Prix
Horner spoke to Viaplay after the race, and stated: “I think this season, the buffer that [McLaren] have is significant.
“It looks very much like a two-horse race. For us, we just focus on every single Grand Prix, and you try and grab every opportunity.”
He went on to say that it was ‘unrealistic’ to suggest that Verstappen was in the drivers’ championship fight, which didn’t go down well with his fans.
Watching the interview, one fan said: “That’s the look of a man who realises he’s losing Max Verstappen.”
Another comment read: “The decline is too much. Never had a 2nd driver that can be up there. No team spirit. And [they] know their best driver is making them look good. Max should find another team.”
“Give him something to compete or see him go to Mercedes,” stated one fan, while another comment read: “Max will never give up, but the team needs to wake up, or maybe Max needs to leave.”
One supporter stated: “There is one driver who is flirting with Mercedes and has a good chance of joining them next season. And there’s the other one who is scrapping in the midfield or down in last.”
Finally, a supporter summed up the situation perfectly, and explained: “Sadly, the end of Red Bull dominance arrived last season already.
“Max would do himself a huge favour to grab a seat elsewhere, sitting in a McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes, he would be on pole almost every race and by now, [he] would be more than 100 points clear of the second driver.”
Max Verstappen not yet convinced that 2026 Mercedes move is the right call
It’s hard to imagine any team in the paddock turning down the chance to sign Verstappen if he becomes available.
Verstappen has a contract until the end of the 2028 F1 season, but there are several clauses in his agreement that could allow him to leave early.
Mercedes are interested in Verstappen, with both of their current drivers yet to sign a new deal.
Toto Wolff has some massive decisions to make and wants his driver line-up worked out before the end of the summer break.
However, Verstappen is unconvinced about one Mercedes rumour floating around the paddock, and that scepticism suggests he’s not close to making up his mind on his future just yet.
