Christian Horner fires dig at Toto Wolff as he reacts to Max Verstappen Mercedes talks
“I didn’t see Toto’s car performing that well today.”
Christian Horner has fired a dig at Toto Wolff when reacting to comments detailing Mercedes' summer break meeting with Max Verstappen over a possible move to Brackley.
Over the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Wolff revealed that he held talks with the Verstappen camp over the summer break to discuss the possibility of signing the three-time world champion.
Mercedes hoped to lure Verstappen as their replacement for Lewis Hamilton, particularly amid Red Bull’s decline in form on-track combined with some turmoil off it.
However, it appears that Verstappen will definitely remain with Red Bull in 2025.
Speaking to select media including Crash.net at Zandvoort, Horner made it clear he wasn’t worried about losing Verstappen for 2025.
“No. I think I find it surprising how much discussion in the open media there is about this topic,” he said.
“The situation was always clear between ourselves and Max and I think others can talk, but we’re comfortable with where we’re at.”
While Verstappen sits 70 points clear of Lando Norris in the drivers’ championship, he’s not assured of the title given McLaren’s impressive recent form.
Horner was asked whether Red Bull’s poor form could impact Verstappen staying with the team for 2026.
He was quick to point out Mercedes’ lack of pace at Zandvoort this weekend with a dig at Wolff: “Well, it’s down to us to deliver. We have an agreement until 2028. So it’s down to us to deliver.
“I didn’t see Toto’s car performing that well today.”
Verstappen is contracted with the team until 2028 but it’s likely he would be able to leave Red Bull if they failed to deliver a competitive car.
Horner accepts that fact - but remains convinced Verstappen’s future is with Red Bull provided they continue to deliver on track.
“Look, ’28 is a long way away. It’s down to us to provide a race winning car,” he added. “Will you be here in 28? You know. 2025… every contract has a performance element in it.
"We’re not going to talk about what those elements are, but as long as we provide a competitive car, we know what the situation is."
