Christian Horner Sends Sly Jab To Toto Wolff As He Hints At Max Verstappen Contract Clause

Saajan Jogia | Aug 26, 2024

Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, speaks at the Red Bull Fan Zone, a private event at Oracle headquarters, on Wednesday October 18, 2023. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has spoken about Mercedes' relentless chase to have Max Verstappen in the future, suggesting that he isn't concerned about the reports as long as Red Bull gives him a race-winning car. In a subtle jab to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, Horner reminded him about the W15's underperformance on display during the Dutch Grand Prix.

Wolff has been vocal about his pursuit of Verstappen ever since Lewis Hamilton announced his 2025 Ferrari move. However, the three-time championship winner has not hinted at even his slightest intention for a Mercedes switch.

The Mercedes chief even kept Carlos Sainz on hold in the process of waiting for a response from Verstappen. The Ferrari driver eventually signed with Williams, while Mercedes is reported to have signed junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025.

Despite Verstappen being disinterested in Mercedes at this point in time, Wolff has a feeling that he will race for Mercedes in the future, given his close association with his father, Jos Verstappen, and manager, Raymond Vermeulen. He told the media at Zandvoort:

"What I like with Max, Raymond, and Jos is that we talk straight. We don't need to push each other. We have been in this too long; we've taken the decision for drivers for next year. This is what our full effort is going into.

"Hopefully that's going to be the line-up for 2026 and beyond. But that doesn't close the door on Max being with us in 2026 or beyond, because we want to still keep all the options open in the same way he does. So what I enjoyed in our conversations is there is never a hidden agenda.

"Somehow I have that feeling [that Mercedes and Verstappen will eventually join forces]. But I don't know when that could be. Whether it's '26, whether it's three years' later, I don't know yet.”

Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, has enjoyed a dominant run since 2022, while Mercedes struggled to offer Hamilton and George Russell a new car. However, despite the Brackley outfit displaying huge performance gains this season, having secured three wins already, Horner pointed out Mercedes' underperformance during the Dutch GP, where Russell finished P7, trailing Verstappen who finished second, by a massive 22 seconds.

Despite Red Bull's struggles with its RB20 at present, and the internal turmoil witnessed this year, Horner hinted that Verstappen's potential move to Mercedes was not a concern for him as long as he was given a fast car on race weekends. He told the media:

“Well, 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 today.”

When Horner was asked about Verstappen's contract and the performance clause in it, he added:

“Look, ’28 is a long way away.

“It’s down to us to provide a race-winning car. Will you be here in ’28?

“You know. 2025… every contract has a performance 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.”