Red Bull team boss Christian Horner dismissed talk of Max Verstappen moving to Mercedes, even as early as next year, as just noise and suggested that the four-time Formula 1 world champion was irritated by it.
Mercedes have George Russell out of contract at the end of the year and both the British driver and team boss Toto Wolff have referenced the possibility of Verstappen becoming available at some point. Which Horner disputes.
"It's a lot of noise. I think Max gets quite annoyed by it and we are very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028," the Red Bull F1 boss told Sky Sports television after Austrian Grand Prix qualifying. "Anything is entirely speculative that is being said, but we tend not to pay too much attention to it."
Typically, Horner was not shy to stir the pot when it comes to Wolff and Mercedes: "I can imagine that George is frustrated; he hasn't been given a contract yet. But that's between him and his team. The situation with Max, we know clearly where we're at, as does Max. Everything is subject to noise, and within any contract, it remains confidential between the parties."
Verstappen is known to have a release clause in his contract, which would allow him to leave if certain performance targets are not met.
The Dutch driver is third overall in the 2025 F1 world championship, 43 points behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri, but qualified only seventh on Saturday for his team's home race at the Red Bull Ring with McLaren's Lando Norris on pole.
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