Toto Wolff accuses Christian Horner of “stirring sh*t up” after George Russell mention

Toto Wolff has accused arch rival Christian Horner of “stirring sh*t” up after the Red Bull boss mentioned George Russell as a possible option.

Red Bull’s driver line-up has been a hot topic during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend amid speculation about Daniel Ricciardo’s future.

During a Sky interview on Saturday, Horner mentioned Russell being out of contract at the end of 2025 and that it would be “foolish” not to consider that.

Horner said: “Look, we're not afraid to go out of the pool. George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration.

“There are other drivers, talented drivers, that will be out of contract as well.”

Horner’s comments are particularly interesting given Mercedes’ interest in Max Verstappen.

Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will form Mercedes’ driver line-up for next year.

However, if Verstappen is on the market, Wolff might have a tough decision to make.

Speaking after the race on Sunday, Wolff was asked about Horner’s comments.

Wolff said as quoted by Motorsport.com: “I think he is always stirring sh*t up, it is part of the game.

“George is a Mercedes driver and has been forever and hopefully will be forever. We have a long contract with him.”

Wolff insists Russell and Antonelli are the “future” of Mercedes despite previous interest in Verstappen.

He added: “These two are the future. They have been and will be Mercedes drivers, and therefore we have contracts with George and Kimi that go much longer, that are very complicated in terms of options, etc.

“Mercedes has always been a pressure cooker, but this is where we stand as a team today, we want to go with these two.”

Verstappen’s contract doesn’t run out until the end of the 2028, but it’s widely understood he has a number of exit clauses in his contract.