I don’t think Toto’s drivers are the cause of his problems,” Horner argues.
Concerns have been expressed regarding Red Bull’s engine’s effectiveness for 2026.
Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull, has scolded Toto Wolff, his counterpart at Mercedes, saying he should put more effort into fixing the issues at his faltering team than attempting to steal Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen.
Verstappen is still on track to win his fourth world title after winning the Chinese Grand Prix with a commanding performance from pole position. This is his fourth win from five races this season. He was so in control of the race that there were moments when he outran the field by nearly a second per lap.
George Russell finished sixth in China and Lewis Hamilton finished ninth, indicating Mercedes’ struggles since the 2022 rule change. Wolff has never hidden his desire to transfer Verstappen, who has a contract with Red Bull through 2028, to Mercedes in order to replace Hamilton, who will be joining Ferrari for the upcoming season.
Following the Shanghai victory, Horner adamantly insisted that Verstappen had no cause to go and that Wolff should seek within to address the issues. He also insisted that his driver was not going anywhere.
Horner remarked, “I don’t think Toto’s drivers are his problems.” “He should be concentrating on other things instead of drivers who aren’t available. Mercedes currently lags behind their customer teams. He would be better off concentrating on the team rather than the driver market with his time. Sometimes it’s merely intended to make noise
There is no doubt about where Max Verstappen will be at the end of the season. I’m not sure how many more times Max can declare that he intends to stay. In terms of races won in the modern era, we surpassed Mercedes today. The squad is thus in top shape. How in the world could you want to go?
Verstappen is under contract, but he hasn’t completely ruled out a move despite that. When asked if he wanted to stay with Red Bull in the future, he said before the race that he wanted a “quiet and peaceful environment.” Given the controversy that surrounds the team in the first part of the season after Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by a female Red Bull employee, it’s possible that this was meant to be a sarcastic statement.
An internal investigation dismissed the grievance, but it is currently on appeal and could potentially be brought before an employment tribunal. Concerns have also been expressed concerning the effectiveness of Red Bull’s engine, which is scheduled to be utilized in the 2026 season.
Wolff hinted that Verstappen was considering a number of factors before making a decision about his future after the race in China.
“Many factors come into play when a driver decides to join,” he stated. It’s obvious that, from the most logical angle, you may conclude that, “Well, that’s the quickest car in the hands of the quickest driver.” But I don’t believe that this is the only factor in your decision to remain put. Perhaps some people have a deeper perspective and take other variables into account as well? Max seems to have that depth.
Will we be able to persuade him? It’s not like I think you have to persuade him. Max is the greatest motor racing expert there is, and he always makes the best choice for himself.