05/07/2025 09:11
Christian Horner believes the major unknown of the 2026 F1 rules
could mean Max Verstappen's hypothetical move to Mercedes would be
a mistake. Although Horner has been firm that Verstappen is
staying at Red Bull for 2026, the driver himself has not explicitly
confirmed this to be the case, as rumours swirl that a deal for him
to defect to Mercedes is being worked on. Mercedes is widely
expected to have the class-leading package for F1's rules reset in
2026, especially with the new power unit regulations. In contrast,
for the first time, Red Bull is becoming a power unit manufacturer,
with Red Bull Powertrains partnering with Ford, but Horner has
conceded that it is almost 70 years behind Ferrari and Mercedes
when it comes to building engines. Given the uncertainty around
RBPT and the alarming slump of Red Bull over the last year,
Verstappen has been linked with a move away, but Horner feels
jumping ship in 2026 would be a risk. "It's remarkable that George
is still on the market. We haven't engaged in any discussion with
George," Horner replied when questioned by RacingNews365 about the
possibility of a direct swap with Verstappen. "He's obviously
pretty confident that he's going to get to retain where he is, but
we've got strength in depth within our team. You can see the
Racing Bulls drivers, you can see [Arvid] Lindblad that we're
running in [FP1] and 2026 is going to be a transformational year.
"It's the biggest rule change in Formula 1, probably in the last 50
years, where both chassis and power unit are being introduced at
the same time. "Nobody, with hand on heart, can know what the
pecking order is going to be. It could be either [McLaren or Aston
Martin], or it could be Ferrari. It could be Mercedes. It could be
anyone. "There's an awful lot of subjectiveness to 2026, and it'll
only be really this time next year that you'll have a clear
indication of what that pecking order is. "So, there are no
guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be
a better proposition."
