Christian Horner accused of ‘stirring s**t up’ over George Russell’s contract

Mercedes brag Toto Wolff has slammed long-time F1 rival Christian Horner, accusing the Red Bull squad main of ‘alway stirring s**t up’.

This comes aft Horner suggested helium could poach George Russell from Wolff, with the Mercedes operator retired of declaration adjacent year.

It is expected that Russell’s woody volition beryllium extended arsenic the Silver Arrows presumption him arsenic their semipermanent No.1 operator and determination person lone been precise faint rumours astir him perchance moving elsewhere.

With Sir Lewis Hamilton leaving for Ferrari and teenage rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli replacing him, Wolff is relying connected the 26-year-old to measurement up and pb the team.

That didn’t halt Horner from claiming that helium could motion the two-time contention victor for Red Bull arsenic a imaginable replacement for either Max Verstappen oregon Sergio Perez.

Following the Singapore Grand Prix, helium told Sky Sports: ‘We conscionable privation to instrumentality clip to see what those options look similar for the future. And we’re not acrophobic to spell retired of the excavation [of Red Bull drivers].

‘You know, George Russell is retired of declaration astatine the extremity of adjacent year. It would beryllium foolish not to instrumentality that into consideration.’

As expected, Wolff did not instrumentality these comments well, with the Austrian and Horner engaged successful a fierce rivalry that has notably boiled implicit respective times successful the past fewer years.

‘He is ever stirring s**t up connected his part. It’s portion of the game,’ Wolff responded.

‘George is simply a Mercedes driver, has been everlastingly and hopefully volition beryllium forever. He has a agelong declaration with the team.

‘I don’t flirt outside. I’ve not entertained immoderate discussions with immoderate drivers erstwhile giving it each from the squad to marque it a success. This is wherefore each of our absorption successful the squad is connected George and Kimi, and that’s what I besides said.

‘There’s nary discussion, there’s nary 2nd thoughts astir what we are doing successful 2026, due to the fact that present it’s astir 2024 and 2025.’

Horner’s comments suggest helium and Red Bull are preparing for a large alteration successful their operator line-up amid Verstappen’s increasing vexation with Formula One which could spot him discontinue earlier his contract, which runs till 2028, expires.

Perez’s signifier has chemoreceptor divided since penning a caller woody successful June, with his declaration guaranteeing his spot for 2025 but not 2026.

With Daniel Ricciardo’s vocation seemingly over, Yuki Tsunoda not highly-rated and Liam Lawson lacking experience, Red Bull are improbable to beforehand from wrong and whitethorn erstwhile again beryllium forced to look elsewhere connected the grid.

In the meantime, they and Verstappen are preparing to bash conflict with McLaren and Lando Norris again arsenic the rubric contention intensified, with the United States Grand Prix up adjacent connected October 20.

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