Red Bull boss says Max Verstappen wants to stay despite Mercedes links
Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks on before the second practice session ahead of the British Grand Prix.
LONDON – Red Bull team boss Christian Horner suggested on July 4 that despite 'all the noise', four-time world champion Max Verstappen is hoping to remain with the team next year.
The 27-year-old Dutchman has been heavily linked with a move to Mercedes next season, with some Italian media reporting that Verstappen had already 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 we know where we're at.'
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore From temples to towers: Old memories collide with new money in Geylang
Singapore Clans of Geylang: The fight for survival and revival
Asia Magnitude 5.4 quake shakes south-western Japan islands as temblors continue
Life 'I applied to over 300 jobs': What people wish they knew before they got laid off
Singapore Tan Cheng Bock and Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership
Asia Dream wheels, Malaysian deals: Singaporean car lovers find affordable indulgence across the border
Asia How a Singaporean heatproofs himself to cope with 40 deg C summer in Chongqing
World Hamas says it responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal in 'a positive spirit'
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.
'Actually, probably, George (Russell, Mercedes driver) triggered all this speculation, probably trying to leverage his own (contract) 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.' AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
England captain Leah Williamson blames England's poor defending on emotions
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox England's Leah Williamson (foreground, left) and Alex Greenwood looking dejected after their 2-1 defeat by France on July 5. ZURICH – England captain Leah Williamson blamed emotions for her team's uncharacteristic performance in their 2-1 loss to France in their opening game of Women's Euro 2025 on July 5, saying they failed to leave them in the dressing room before kick-off. Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore struck in the first half for France to leave England's travelling fans in stunned silence and while Keira Walsh pulled one back in the 87th minute and the Lionesses had some near-misses towards the end, it was too little too late for the reigning champions. 'I'm disappointed there was some cheap sort of emotional defending in the first half, when you take waves of attack like that you leave yourself open to those sorts of things,' Williamson said of their poor one-on-one defending. 'I'm just frustrated because I think the football that we played near the end, and the game plan, could've worked. We just didn't execute it exceptionally well. 'We spoke (at half-time) as players, we take responsibility individually and as a team. We have a calm environment at the minute but there was an injection of get the emotion out, leave it in the changing room, and go out and just be pragmatic about it and try and insert a bit of 'umph' into the game.' The loss was manager Sarina Wiegman's first in a European Championship after leading both the Netherlands (2017) and England (2022) to titles. 'Of course, we're frustrated, we had three very good weeks and we trained really well but that's never a guarantee that you'll win the game,' Wiegman said. 'And you also know that France is a proper team too, so you have to do things really well. We just didn't get it right at those moments.' The first goal of the night almost went to England but Alessia Russo's strike was chalked off after the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled that Beth Mead had been offside in the buildup. Wiegman also believed Russo was fouled on France's second goal, but a VAR review said otherwise at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich. 'I'm not the referee but I'm upset,' she said. England have been slow off the mark in previous major tournaments, edging out Austria 1-0 to kick off Euro 2022 and Haiti 1-0 at the 2023 World Cup en route to their first final appearance. 'I can't really compare all the first games in tournaments,' Wiegman said. 'I think playing against France is just totally different than every other start of a tournament because I think they're a world-class team , and I think we're a very good team too .' Meanwhile, France staked their claim to be contenders for the title with their inspired showing in Zurich. Player of the Match Delphine Cascarino said: I was expecting a good game from us. We worked a lot to prepare for this English team... 'We got a fright in the beginning but we remained calm and we managed to get to our objective. We stuck to the game plan, and I believe we really controlled the game.' England now face a mammoth task on July 9 against the Netherlands, 3-0 winners over Wales in the other Group D game on July 5. That earlier game saw Vivianne Miedema scored her 100th international goal, with Victoria Pelova and Esmee Brugts also find the net. 'It's special. When you're a child, you don't even dream of this, or maybe you do dream, but achieving it is special,' Miedema told NOS Sport. REUTERS, AFP
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Wallabies strike late to edge Fiji but lose Lolesio to concussion
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox NEWCASTLE, Australia - Australia lost starting flyhalf Noah Lolesio to concussion as they came from behind with a late try to beat Fiji 21-18 in their only warm-up for the test series against the British & Irish Lions on Sunday. Captain Harry Wilson crossed a minute from time for the try that gave Australia a measure of revenge for their loss to Fiji at the 2023 World Cup. "Obviously stoked there to get the win in our first test match of the year. Such a tough match, Fiji's a quality outfit," said number eight Wilson. "We can't wait for what's coming over the next few weeks." Fiji scored tries through debutant Salesi Rayasi and Lekima Tagitagivalu either side of halftime and had eight points from the boot of flyhalf Caleb Muntz but came up just short of a first win over the Wallabies in Australia since 1954. "Very proud of my brothers, we came together in one week, prepared to put it out there today," said Fiji captain Tevita Ikanivere. "I know it's a disappointing loss, losing in the last minute, but thankful to them for giving their all today." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July launch Business High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods Singapore MOH studying 18 proposals to integrate TCM into public healthcare Singapore TTSH to demolish century-old pavilion wards, keeping one as heritage marker Singapore Red Lions and naval divers join forces for Jump of Unity at NDP 2025 Singapore His world crashed when he got F9 in O-level Tamil but PropNex co-founder Ismail Gafoor beat the odds Asia HIV surge in the Philippines amid poor sex education, policy gaps World 'Formed to give you back your freedom': Elon Musk says he has created a new US political party The Wallabies dominated territory in the first half and looked to get the ball wide as often as they could with Max Jorgensen impressing on the left wing. The opening try came from a more prosaic move in the ninth minute with hooker Dave Porecki going over the line on the back of a rolling maul. Right winger Harry Potter crossed in the corner in the 16th minute from a slick backline move, but the score was called back for a forward pass. The Fijians did not get inside the Australia 22-metre line until the 27th minute but errors from the Wallabies and their own physical defence kept the home side out until two minutes before the break. Quick hands along the backline sent flanker Fraser McReight over for a try that, with Noah Lolesio's second conversion, gave the Wallabies a 14-0 lead they would have been happy to take into halftime. An attempt to get centre Joseph Suaalii involved with a high ball in the midfield just before the break misfired, however, and the Fijians gathered the ball and charged down the other end for fullback Rayasi to score in the corner. The Wallabies kept up with the attempts to get width in their attack after the break, and Jorgensen had a try chalked off in the 49th minute for another forward pass from fullback Tom Wright. Fiji flyhalf Caleb Muntz kicked a penalty to cut the deficit to 14-8 in the 51st minute, and the visitors took the lead four minutes later when winger Wainiqolo burst through the midfield before finding flanker Tagitagivalu in support. The Fijians, now rampant, went over again through Sireli Maqala on the hour mark, only for the referee to call that score back too for an earlier foot in touch. The joy of the Australians in the crowd of 28,132 was short-lived, however, as attention turned to Lolesio receiving attention at the other end after hitting hit his head on the turf in a tackle from Elia Canakaivata. Fiji continued to trouble the Wallabies with their big ball runners, but Australia worked their way back up the pitch as the last few minutes ticked away. Four points adrift, they elected to kick for the corner with a late penalty and kept it in the forwards once their maul ground to halt, Wilson barrelling over under the posts to clinch the winning score. REUTERS
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
'Rarely been so angry': Bayern boss Kompany seethes over Musiala injury
ATLANTA - Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany said he was furious after Jamal Musiala sustained a horrific injury during the first half of their Club World Cup quarter-final defeat by Paris St Germain in Atlanta on Saturday. The 22-year-old Germany international was injured in added time before the break following a collision in PSG's penalty area. As Musiala challenged defender William Pacho for the ball, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inadvertently rolled over Musiala's left ankle, twisting it at an alarming angle and leaving him lying in agony on the pitch. "I've rarely been so angry at halftime, not against my players. There's many things in life that are important, much more important than this. But in the end, for these guys it's their life," Kompany told reporters after the 2-0 loss. "And someone like Jamal lives for this and he came back from a setback. And then it happens in the way it happens and you feel powerless... "When I'm sat here next to you now, the thing that gets my blood still boiling at the moment, it's not the result. I understand this is football. But it's the fact that it happened to someone who, one, enjoys the game so much but also very important for us." Bayern's medical team rushed on to the pitch as Donnarumma, visibly shaken, dropped to the ground with his hands on his head in disbelief at the severity of the injury. Players from both teams formed a circle around Musiala who was carried off the field on a stretcher. The German daily Bild reported he could be sidelined for up to five months. Bayern goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer said Donnarumma's dive was "risky" and that he had spoken to his Italian counterpart after the incident. "You just accept that your opponent might get injured. It could even be a teammate," he added. "So I went over to him and said: 'Don't you want – because it was half-time anyway – don't you want to go over there? Jamal is lying there, he'll probably stay in the hospital, he has a serious injury, and I think it's only right to go over there out of respect and wish him well and just say a little sorry.' "After that, he went over to Jamal... Fairness is always important, and I would have reacted differently." After the match, Donnarumma posted on Instagram: "All my prayers and well wishes are with you Jamal." REUTERS
