Christian Horner has revealed details of Mercedes’ pursuit of Max Verstappen during the 2025 Formula 1 season, including a possible driver line-up that would have paired the Dutchman with Kimi Antonelli and left George Russell without a seat at the Brackley-based team. The former Red Bull team principal has also described a personal conversation with Max Verstappen about his future, shedding light on the four-time world champion’s decision to remain at Milton Keynes.
The revelations feature in Drive, Christian Horner’s autobiography, which explores his two decades in charge of Red Bull, the team’s internal relationships, driver market decisions and his complicated working relationship with Helmut Marko. The book also offers an insight into the negotiations and strategic considerations that shaped Red Bull’s driver line-ups over the years.
Christian Horner reveals the drivers Red Bull considered alongside Max Verstappen
Among the names discussed in Christian Horner’s autobiography are Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and even Charles Leclerc. Christian Horner describes Carlos Sainz as a team player, while Charles Leclerc was reportedly among those who considered the possibility of pursuing their ambitions away from Ferrari.
However, none of these drivers eventually became Max Verstappen’s team-mate. Helmut Marko’s preference for promoting young talent from within Red Bull’s own driver development programme played an important role in those decisions, shaping the team’s approach to its driver line-up.
Christian Horner also reveals a more personal side to his management style, suggesting that he sometimes wanted to offer another opportunity to drivers who had experienced difficult periods at Red Bull.
One example was his interest in helping Alexander Albon secure a seat at Williams, where the British-Thai driver continues to compete. Having endured a challenging spell alongside Max Verstappen, Alexander Albon was among those Christian Horner hoped would have the opportunity to rebuild their Formula 1 careers elsewhere.
Mercedes’ pursuit of Max Verstappen could have changed George Russell’s future
One of the most significant revelations concerns the 2025 driver market and Mercedes’ attempts to persuade Max Verstappen to leave Red Bull. According to Christian Horner’s account, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff made a determined effort to convince the four-time world champion to join the Brackley operation.
The rumours surrounding the potential move reportedly extended to dinners involving representatives of Mercedes and members of Max Verstappen’s entourage. The apparent objective was to create a formidable driver pairing for the 2026 Formula 1 season, with Max Verstappen joining Kimi Antonelli and George Russell potentially losing his place in the team.
Christian Horner recalls an episode involving Flavio Briatore, who approached him relatively discreetly and indicated that he was almost certain Max Verstappen would be wearing Mercedes colours the following season.
Faced with the possibility of losing his leading driver, Christian Horner reportedly began exploring alternative scenarios. This included discussions with representatives of George Russell to assess whether the British driver might be available to join Red Bull if Max Verstappen decided to move to Mercedes.
Those contacts did not develop into formal negotiations. Instead, they represented a contingency plan intended to ensure Red Bull had an alternative available if its star driver chose to leave.
Ultimately, that scenario never materialised. Max Verstappen remained at Red Bull, while George Russell continued his career with Mercedes alongside Kimi Antonelli.
How would Mercedes have performed with Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli?
The possibility of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli driving for Mercedes together raises an intriguing question about how the 2026 Formula 1 season might have unfolded.
Max Verstappen would have arrived as an established benchmark in Formula 1, bringing enormous experience, exceptional racecraft and a proven record of competing for world championships. Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, would have represented the team’s emerging talent, still developing his skills and adapting to the demands of competing at the highest level.
Such a pairing could have offered Mercedes considerable potential, but it might also have created difficult questions about how the team managed its internal relationships and championship ambitions.
Formula 1 history has repeatedly demonstrated that placing two highly ambitious drivers in the same team can either provide a major competitive advantage or become a source of tension.
The 2016 Mercedes season offers a particularly relevant example. The rivalry between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton reached several intense moments as the two drivers fought for the world championship, placing considerable pressure on the team’s management.
A partnership between Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli could have raised similar questions for Toto Wolff, particularly if both drivers had been fighting for the title. How would Mercedes have handled strategic decisions if their championship opportunities were equally strong? Would one driver have received priority, and how would Kimi Antonelli have responded to working alongside someone with Max Verstappen’s approach to racing?
Those questions remain hypothetical, but they highlight the complexities Mercedes might have faced had its pursuit of the Dutchman succeeded.
George Russell’s Mercedes struggles suggest Verstappen might not have changed everything
Despite the appeal of imagining Max Verstappen in a Mercedes, it is possible that the team’s 2026 season would not have been dramatically different from the campaign it has experienced.
George Russell has struggled at times to establish the right connection with the Mercedes W17, particularly when attempting to adapt his driving style to the characteristics of the new generation of Formula 1 cars.
However, the British driver cannot be held entirely responsible for those difficulties. Mechanical problems have also disrupted his season, including power-unit failures at the Canadian Grand Prix and the race at Sepang, both of which forced the driver of car number 63 to retire.
Those setbacks were particularly frustrating because Mercedes had introduced significant upgrade packages at both events. The difficulties therefore concerned not only George Russell’s adaptation to the W17, but also the car’s ability to deliver consistent performance and reliability.
The situation at Red Bull offers an interesting comparison. Despite his considerable driving ability, Max Verstappen also encountered problems during the opening part of the 2026 season, having to work to adapt his driving style to the characteristics of the RB22.
The picture improved during the second half of the championship. Upgrades introduced by Red Bull helped transform the car’s competitiveness, allowing Max Verstappen to achieve stronger results and return regularly to the leading positions.
This improvement illustrated how much a driver’s performance depends on the characteristics and development of the machinery available. Even an outstanding driver cannot completely overcome the limitations of a car that does not suit their driving style or deliver consistent performance.
For that reason, Max Verstappen’s arrival at Mercedes would not necessarily have transformed the team’s fortunes. The outcome would still have depended heavily on the development and reliability of the W17, just as Red Bull’s improved results have depended on the progress made with the RB22.
Christian Horner recalls private Silverstone conversation about Max Verstappen’s Red Bull future
Another revealing episode in Christian Horner’s autobiography concerns the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which took place shortly before the conclusion of his time as Red Bull team principal.
According to Christian Horner, he used the occasion to speak directly and personally with Max Verstappen about his long-term future, temporarily putting aside his management responsibilities to understand the driver’s intentions.
Max Verstappen’s response was clear: he wanted to finish his Formula 1 career with Red Bull, provided the team could continue supplying him with a competitive car.
That position offered an important indication of the Dutchman’s commitment to the organisation. Although Mercedes had been linked with a potential move, Max Verstappen’s priority remained competing successfully with Red Bull rather than simply pursuing an opportunity elsewhere.
His subsequent decision to remain with the Milton Keynes team for the 2026 season reflected that confidence, particularly his belief in Red Bull’s ability to build a competitive project under the new Formula 1 regulations.
Such progress was never guaranteed to arrive immediately, especially with Formula 1 entering a new technical era. Nevertheless, Max Verstappen appeared convinced that Red Bull had the expertise and resources required to develop the car and return to the front of the field.
The team’s improvement during the 2026 campaign has provided further encouragement, with its development programme helping Max Verstappen become increasingly competitive as the season progressed.
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull contract until 2030 raises new questions
The relationship between Max Verstappen and Red Bull has since been strengthened by the Dutchman’s new contract, extending his commitment to the team until 2030.
That agreement represents more than simply a continuation of their existing partnership. It also demonstrates confidence in a long-term technical project that remains in its early stages and still has considerable scope for development.
Red Bull’s ambitions extend beyond recovering competitiveness during the current campaign. The team is seeking to establish a foundation capable of challenging the rivals that have dominated much of the 2026 season, with the aim of returning to sustained championship contention.
Max Verstappen’s decision to commit to that future indicates that he believes Red Bull can become an even stronger challenger as its current technical programme evolves.
However, the agreement also raises a longer-term question about the four-time world champion’s career. With his contract scheduled to run until 2030, could that year eventually mark the end of Max Verstappen’s time as a Formula 1 driver?
There is no definitive answer for now. What is clear is that despite Mercedes’ interest and the uncertainties surrounding Red Bull’s technical direction, Max Verstappen has chosen to continue placing his faith in the team that helped establish him among Formula 1’s most successful drivers.
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