Horner: ‘Foolish’ not to consider Russell for 2026 Red Bull seat

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hinted at the team’s interest in George Russell, whose current contract with Mercedes expire at the end of 2025.

This weekend in Singapore, Horner provided insight into the energy drink company’s driver strategy for the coming years amid ongoing speculation about the future line-ups for both Red Bull Racing and sister outfit Visa Cash App RB.

Rumors have been circulating about Daniel Ricciardo’s position for 2025, with many pundits believing that reserve driver Liam Lawson will replace the Aussie, perhaps even before the end of the 2024 season.

Addressing these speculations, Horner acknowledged that the team is constantly reviewing its options.

“Well, look, these things are under constant review,” explained the Red Bull chief in an interview with Sky F1.

“There is obviously a much bigger picture other than just Daniel as we continue to look at all of our options as we move forward.

“Now there’s a natural break coming with effectively almost a month’s gap to the next race, so it’s only natural that you’ll take stock and consider all of those options for the final part of the year.”

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“Well, look, these things are under constant review. There is obviously a much bigger picture other than just Daniel as we continue to look at all of our options as we move forward.

“Now there’s a natural break coming with effectively almost a month’s gap to the next race, so it’s only natural that you’ll take stock and consider all of those options for the final part of the year.”

The conversation also turned to Red Bull’s history of moving drivers in and out of its program, a process that has seen current Williams charger Alex Albon and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly exit the Red Bull fold.

However, Horner defended the team’s approach, highlighting the success stories like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, who both became world champions through Red Bull’s system.

“We’ve given a great opportunity to so many youngsters over the period of time,” he said.

“The Red Bull system does demand results and demand performance. Of course, Max is delivering. Checo [Sergio Perez] has been underdelivering this year. Last year, he did a good job, or good enough job to finish second in the [drivers’] championship and [for Red Bull to] be constructors’ champions.

“We’re having to look further down the road. We’ve got some great talent. We’ve got Liam Lawson on the bench. We’re not quite sure, looking at the likes of [Franco] Colapinto and [Ollie] Bearman and [Kimi] Antonelli, is he at that level? Only time will tell.

“We’ve got Isack Hadjar in F2 who’s been until recently leading that championship. We’ve got a very exciting young talent, that I’m particularly excited about, in F3, Arvid Lindblad. So, we’ve got depth in our junior programme, and that’s why there’s a natural point in time.”

“We’ve got a gap now, but we just want to take time to consider, ‘What do those options look like for the future?’

One of those options, it seems, could include two-time Grand Prix winner George Russell. With the 26-year-old’s contract expiring at the end of 2025, Horner hinted that Red Bull is open to exploring external options beyond their own development pool.

“Look, we’re not afraid to go out of the pool,” he said. “George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration.

“There are other drivers, talented drivers, that will be out of contract as well.”

Horner’s remarks come in the wake of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff’s recent comments about Verstappen, where he openly expressed interest in signing the Dutch driver before ultimately confirming that Mercedes will pair their junior driver Kimi Antonelli with Lewis Hamilton for 2025.

This interplay between the teams adds another layer of intrigue to the F1 driver market, as both Mercedes and Red Bull continue to strategize for future seasons.

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