Christian Horner’s exit from Red Bull Racing could have wide-ranging implications for the Formula 1 driver market.
Max Verstappen went into the 2025 F1 season as the incumbent drivers’ championship winner, having won four titles on the bounce.
However, at the halfway stage of the campaign, it appears almost impossible for the Red Bull driver to add a fifth championship to his collection.
Oscar Piastri has a 69-point lead over Verstappen, and his dissatisfaction could have wide-ranging implications for the driver market.
Verstappen has a get-out clause in the Red Bull contract, and that has caught the attention of Mercedes.
Mercedes chiefs have reportedly greenlit a move for Verstappen, and this could have wide-ranging implications for George Russell.
Russell is out of contract at the end of the season, as is his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
However, Toto Wolff appears more likely to let the British driver go should Verstappen become available; however, the 27-year-old’s future might be settled sooner rather than later.
‘Privately’ felt in Formula 1 that George Russell will extend his Mercedes contract
Journalist Daniel Moxon was writing on his Substack in the aftermath of Horner being replaced by Laurent Mekies at Red Bull.
Explaining what was being discussed during the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone, Moxon suggested that he consulted sources from ‘both Mercedes and Red Bull’.
Moxon believes that ‘there wasn’t anything too serious there’ when asking about the idea of Verstappen moving on at the end of this season.
Wolff’s interest in Verstappen has been well known for some time, even before the Dutchman made his Formula 1 debut in 2015.
He believes that there is nothing ‘concrete’ to suggest that a move for Verstappen is impending, even if Wolff and Verstappen are holidaying in the same area ahead of the next race at Spa.
Russell is said to be ‘confident’ that he’ll be signing a new Mercedes deal, and ‘privately’ it’s believed that it could be struck potentially before the Belgian Grand Prix.
There are suggestions that Russell and Mercedes reached an impasse over the length of his contract.
It makes sense for Wolff to offer the four-time race winner a short-term deal to keep the opportunity of signing Verstappen open.
However, Russell is in such good form that he can be demanding in negotiations with the Silver Arrows.
How Mercedes driver George Russell was greeted by the British Grand Prix crowd
Russell had a nightmare home race at Silverstone on Sunday, finishing in the final points-paying position after a botched strategy.
He decided to change onto slick tyres on the formation lap, losing him track position and a lot of time as the track didn’t dry as fast as expected.
Fans at Silverstone appeared to forget Russell existed, with far more excitement surrounding Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
From a commercial point of view, Verstappen would be a huge draw for Mercedes given his success, even if he’s not particularly willing to take part in many of the commercial activities that drivers are required to do.
Martin Brundle suggested Mercedes’ strategy defied common sense at Silverstone, and that might be why Russell didn’t get the support he might have expected.
His luck at the British Grand Prix has been woeful throughout his career, with a technical fault ending his hope of winning the race last season.
- Ben Evans
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