Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says he thinks Max Verstappen will be “annoyed” by the “noise” linking the reigning world champion with a move to Mercedes.

Mercedes driver George Russell told Sky Sports F1 on Thursday that he believed his own contract extension was being held up by the team’s attempts to sign Verstappen from Red Bull, before Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff admitted on Friday that “conversations” are ongoing with the Dutchman’s camp.

Verstappen, who has been world champion in each of the last four seasons, is contracted to Red Bull until 2028 but there are understood to be clauses in the deal that could result in an earlier release.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after Austrian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday, Horner said: “It is a lot of noise. I think Max gets quite annoyed by it.

“We are very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028.

“So, anything is entirely speculative that is being said, but we tend not to pay too much attention to it.”

Asked whether he suspected Mercedes were intentionally attempting to destabilise Red Bull at the team’s home event in Spielberg, Horner said he believed Russell would be genuinely “frustrated” at not having been given a new contract.

Horner added: “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 and obviously as does Max.

“Everything is subject to noise and, obviously, within any contract it remains confidential between the parties.”

Wolff publicly courted Verstappen last year following Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari, but until this weekend had suggested he was no longer pursuing the 27-year-old.

Verstappen’s future with Red Bull appeared to be in doubt when his father Jos had a major falling out with Horner last year, but relations between the driver’s camp and the team’s hierarchy since appear to have stabilised.

The decisive factor in Verstappen’s future is likely to be where he feels he is most likely to win more championships, with paddock chatter suggesting Mercedes may have stolen a march on their rivals in the development of the new engines that will be introduced to the sport next year.

It remains to be seen whether he would consider leaving Red Bull as soon as the end of this season or assess the competitive picture for the first year of the radical new regulations.

Chandhok expects Verstappen to assess options in 2026

Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok believes Verstappen will stay at Red Bull in 2026 before moving in 2027 if he feels a better option is available.

Chandhok said: “We don’t know what the thresholds are in terms of him being able to extricate himself from the Red Bull contract, but if you were Max Verstappen, you would look next year at the performance of the top teams and then pick and choose where you want to go in the future.

“Because I think any of the teams of the grid would want to have Max in the car. He’s the standout driver of recent times.

“And from Max’s side, the new generation of rules and power units could set the tone for the next five or six years, like what happened with Lewis back in 2014.

“For next year, there’s a bit of a dance going on where people are trying to gauge the situation. And then for 2027, the market could go completely mad.”

Sky Sports F1’s Austrian GP schedule

Sunday June 29
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

Next up for the 2025 Formula 1 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.