The China Mail - Red Bull boss says Verstappen wants to stay despite Mercedes links

The 27-year-old Dutchman has been heavily linked with a move to Mercedes next season, with some Italian media reporting that Verstappen had accepted an offer.

Speaking during an official news conference at the British Grand Prix, Horner conceded that exit clauses existed in the Dutchman's contract, which runs to the end of 2028, but added that he felt Red Bull were in a "fairly comfortable" position.

"There's obviously an awful lot of people talking about it, but what's most important is the relationship between the driver and the team," said a defensive Horner.

"There's an agreement that defines that, as well, and everybody's very clear on where we're at.

"Max has been with Red Bull since the very start of his career. All his successes come in Red Bull Racing cars. He's a big part of our team and he has a great deal of faith in the team and the people around him.

"So, whilst there's always going to be speculation and noise, I think we all sit fairly comfortable with where we're at and what the situation is. We can't control the narrative of others but internally, we know where we're at."

Asked if he could confirm that Verstappen would be a Red Bull driver in 2026, when a new set of technical regulations are to be introduced, Horner stressed it was his and the driver's intention, but was unable to be categoric.

"Look, the contracts between the drivers and the teams are always going to remain confidential/" he said.

"With any driver's contract, there is an element of a performance mechanism, and of course that exists within Max's contract.

"His intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026. It's inevitable that he's of huge interest to any other team in the pit lane.

- 'Ignoring the noise' -

"Actually, probably, George (Russell, Mercedes driver) triggered all this speculation, probably trying to leverage his own situation and force clarity, which you can understand because he's driven a very good season as well this year.

"But inevitably, there will always be speculation about it. I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team -- and that's very clear."

Horner repeated that Verstappen's contract runs until 2028.

"He's made it quite clear that he would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car from start to finish," he stressed.

"I think that's quite special and unique for him. That's what we're focused on. We're just ignoring the noise and focusing on the areas we know where we need to improve and how to do that."

Horner added that 2026 was sure to be a transformational year with no guarantees.

"It's the biggest rule-change in F1 probably in the last 50 years, where both chassis and power unit are being introduced at the same time," he said.

"Nobody, with hand on heart, can know what the pecking order is going to be.

"So there are no guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be a better proposition."

C.Fong--ThChM