“It would be foolish to not consider George Russell”: Christian Horner assessing his drivers options as Max Verstappen’s uncertain future persists

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hinted George Russell as a potential option for the Milton Keynes team in the future amid speculation of Max Verstappen's departure. The latter has not been too happy with the team's recent performances.

RBR dominated the grid for two complete seasons with Verstappen and Perez. Although it carried the momentum into 2024, its performance has taken a hit in recent races. Red Bull lost the lead in the constructors' championship after the Azerbaijan GP to McLaren.

Max Verstappen is being speculated to leave the team before the end of his contract. Moreover, Christian Horner recently discussed the possibilities for both Red Bull and its junior team VCARB.

He mentioned the junior drivers who could replace its current lineup in the future.

"We're having to look further down the road," The Race quoted him as saying. "We've got Liam Lawson on the bench. We're not quite sure...looking at the likes of [Franco] Colapinto, [Ollie] Bearman and [Kimi] Antonelli. Is he at that level? Only time will tell."

He also said that Red Bull might look for options out of its junior and development drivers, mentioning Mercedes' George Russell.

"We're not afraid to go out of the pool," Horner said. "George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be foolish to not take that into consideration."

"There are other talented drivers that could well be out of contract as well."

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Red Bull advisor drops hint about Max Verstappen's future

Dr. Helmut Marko recently talked about Max Verstappen's future. He mentioned that Verstappen wants to race with a team that wins, perhaps hinting towards a new team he might race with later.

"Max drives where he can win," Marko told Kleine Zeitung (via Motorsport Week). "Aston Martin has the most modern factory, the wind tunnel will be operational next year and Honda engines will be added to that. Everything fits."

Adrian Newey, who has been working with Red Bull for almost two decades now, announced his departure from the team earlier this season. Aston Martin has since signed him, which was recently revealed.

This was timed at the same time as RBR's downfall in performance which has raised the speculations of Verstappen moving to another team. While there is currently no official confirmation from anyone, he was asked about his contract with his current team.

He is locked with the Milton Keynes outfit till the end of the 2028 season, but when he was asked if he has an exit clause, Max Verstappen said:

"Maybe yes, maybe no. I don’t know!"

Despite the setbacks, Verstappen still leads the drivers' championship with a 59-point lead over McLaren's Lando Norris.