Red Bull boss Christian Horner has quipped that Oscar Piastri would be an ideal candidate to replace Max Verstappen should the reigning Formula 1 World Champion decide to leave the team.
The Milton Keynes-based squad’s line up for next year has come under increasing speculation, amid rumours that Verstappen has been in talks with Mercedes.
George Russell, the German marque’s lead driver, revealed over the Austrian Grand Prix weekend that it had opened up discussions with the Dutchman, fuelling the rumour mill further.
This was later exacerbated still by Team Principal Toto Wolff’s hesitance to deny that any talks had taken place.
When asked if Red Bull had any ‘Plan B’ if Verstappen, Horner remarked to media including Motorsport Week: “Oscar Piastri,” adding: “It’s all as subjective as that.
“I think that we’re very focused on our current drivers and the relationship. Max has got a contract 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. And I think that’s quite special and unique for him. And 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.”
Speculation around the team’s second seat has also garnered interest, with Yuki Tsunoda under increasing pressure to perform after series of disappointing results.
This had led to murmurings that Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar may be promoted into the seat, as well as chatter around its junior prospect Arvid Lindblad, who made his FP1 debut for the team on Friday, having earned his superlicence a year early.
When asked if Red Bull was prepared to look outside its own in-house program for a driver on the market, as they did with Sergio Perez in 2021, Horner indicated he and the team would keep its options open.
“Well, obviously our priority will be to look at what we have within our pool of talent,” he said. “Yuki has got to the end of the season to demonstrate that he’s the guy to remain in the car.
“We have Isack also doing a good job and Liam finding his form as well. So within the Red Bull pool, we have talent.
“But of course, you’re always open to what is outside of that. We want to feel the best line-up that we can for next year. We’ve gone outside of that pool in recent years.
“If we feel the necessity to do so, we would be afraid to do so again.”
Horner: Russell’s potential availability ‘remarkable’, ‘wouldn’t expect’ to tempt McLaren pair
If Verstappen was to join Mercedes, it would ultimately force either Russell or rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli out of the team, but the Italian’s youth perhaps puts him at an advantage to retain his place.
Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Russell told media including Motorsport Week on Thursday that he had not been talking to any other teams, despite ongoing negotiations with Mercedes being inconclusive so far.
Questioned if Russell, a likelier proposition than Piastri, would be an attractive option for Red Bull, Horner voiced his surprise that the Brit was not yet tied down, but confirms no talks had taken place.
“Well, it’s remarkable that George is still on the market,” he said. “We haven’t engaged in any discussion with George. So he’s obviously pretty confident that he’s going to get to remain where he is.”
Horner was offered the hypothesis of potentially luring one of either Piastri or his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, should the current championship battle between the pair become contentious.
But the 51-year-old did not believe that either man would be prepared to give up driving for what is currently the best team on the grid.
“We’ve always taken a position of respecting the contracts that drivers have with their existing teams,” Horner said. “They’ve got two great drivers, they’re pushing each other hard and they’re managing to maintain a healthy relationship, which is always a significant challenge when you’ve got two very competitive drivers fighting for the ultimate prize in Formula 1.
“But every team is different. But I wouldn’t expect either of those guys, why would they be wanting to step out of what currently is the fastest car of them?
“That’s the way it goes when you’re at the front of the field and leading the pack. So I’d be astounded if there was any change to what they’ve committed to.”
And any such notion of McLaren losing either Piastri or Norris was immediately shut down by its CEO, Zak Brown, who said: “Yeah, our drivers aren’t going anywhere. They’re very happy. We’re very happy, so there’s no need to look at any of the drivers on the grid.”
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