Christian Horner lands Toto Wolff dig after grilling on Max Verstappen’s future

The F1 2024 has become an increasingly stressful one for Red Bull

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has aimed a dig at Toto Wolff over his pursuit of Max Verstappen, claiming the Mercedes W15 car did not “perform that well” in the Dutch Grand Prix.

Wolff has been searching for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton after the seven-time World Champion announced earlier this year that he will leave Mercedes to join Ferrari on a multi-year contract from F1 2025.

Mercedes slump not lost on Christian Horner after Toto Wolff’s Max Verstappen interest

Additional reporting by Sam Cooper

Mercedes have been persistently linked with an ambitious move for Verstappen, with Wolff commenting that he “would love to have” the reigning three-time World Champion in one of his cars.

With Verstappen contracted with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, however, Mercedes appear to have ended their interest in the Dutchman for the near future.

Multiple reports over recent weeks have indicated that Mercedes are set to promote teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli as George Russell’s new team-mate, with an announcement expected ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Dutch GP analysis

 Extracted Max Verstappen data reveals harsh home truths to Red Bull

 Dutch Grand Prix conclusions: Lando Norris breakthrough, Red Bull’s big F1 2025 decision

It remains to be seen whether Mercedes will renew their interest in Verstappen ahead of F1’s major regulation changes in 2026, for which the team’s preparations are said to be advanced.

Having won three of the last four races prior to F1’s summer break, Mercedes produced a disappointing performance as the season resumed at Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix, where Russell and Hamilton came home seventh and eighth respectively.

With Verstappen winning three of the last 10 races as a result of Red Bull’s mid-season struggles, however, it has been suggested that the 26-year-old may have considered a switch to Mercedes as soon as next year.

Asked if he was ever seriously concerned about losing Verstappen for F1 2025, Horner told media including PlanetF1.com after the race at Zandvoort: “I find it surprising how much discussion in the open media there is about this topic.

“The situation was always clear between ourselves and Max and I think that others can talk, but we’re comfortable with where we’re at.”

Put to him that Red Bull’s current form could sway Verstappen’s thinking over his future at the team, Horner could not resist a jab at former title rivals Mercedes.

And he insisted that Verstappen is likely to remain with Red Bull as long as the team continue to deliver to a high standard.

He replied: “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.

“2028 is a long way away. It’s down to us to provide a race-winning car.

“Every contract has a performance [clause] 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.”

Read next: Red Bull sticking point emerges as Williams enter Liam Lawson loan negotiations