GPblog reported earlier that Verstappen would prefer to stay with Red Bull Racing, however the Dutchman does want to see performance improvements for 2026.

He wants to compete for the world title again, which doesn't seem to be the case this year. If the prospects for the upcoming season are not good, Verstappen may then choose to leave.

Mercedes appears to be the most obvious choice in that case. In a conversation with Austrian ORF, Wolff provided an update on the driver line-up situation in 2026.

Red Bull's top brass bit the bullet and made the call: Horner was removed from his role as team principal effective immediately a few weeks ago.

In an assessment carried out by former Jordan Grand Prix technical leader Gary Anderson, the Brit's approach to McLaren's resurgence was heavily criticised.

In The Race's Tech Show, Anderson recalled McLaren's 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix where the British team completed a rather disappointing outing marred by braking issues, with Oscar Piastri retiring his MCL60 and Lando Norris finishing P17 two laps down on eventual winner Max Verstappen.

Anderson then set his sights on Red Bull Racing, and therefore on Horner's way of dealing with McLaren having the edge in that regard.