Horner hits back at Russell 'frustration' over Mercedes contract

Christian Horner has responded to claims from George Russell and Toto Wolff that Max Verstappen has been in talks with Mercedes over an F1 switch.

Despite an impressive 2025 season, Russell is yet to sign a fresh deal with Mercedes for when his current contract expires at the end of 2025.

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Speaking to Sky Sports at the Austrian Grand Prix, Russell revealed that Mercedes were in talks with Verstappen over a potential switch for 2026 and team principal Wolff also confirmed there had been contact with the champion.

In conversation with Horner after qualifying, Sky’s Ted Kravitz asked about Verstappen's Mercedes talks in Austria, and the Red Bull boss hit back at the rumours.

"It's a lot of noise, I think Max gets quite annoyed by it and we’re very clear with the contract we have with Max until 2028," Horner said. "Anything is entirely speculative that is being said, but we tend to not pay too much attention to it."

When Kravitz asked if it was ‘naughty’ for Mercedes to acknowledge these rumours at Red Bull’s home grand prix, Horner replied: "I can imagine George is frustrated he hasn’t been given a contract yet, that’s between him and his team.

"The situation with Max we know clearly where we’re at and obviously as does Max. Everything is subject to noise and obviously within any contract it remains confidential between the parties."

Could Verstappen drive for Mercedes in 2026?

Despite confirming talks between Mercedes and Verstappen, Wolff also claimed it would be more likely that Russell would race with the team in 2026 over the Dutchman.

However, next season also marks a new set of regulations where Mercedes are tipped to come out on top, particularly in relation to their power unit.

Verstappen will likely wait and see how the order shapes up in 2026 before making a contract decision, whilst Russell could sign a one-year deal with Mercedes leaving a seat once again free in 2027.

This Mercedes contract talk remains speculation of course, with Horner closely guarding Verstappen’s contract details, despite Helmut Marko recently confirming there were performance-based exit clauses in the Dutchman's contract.

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