Wolff and Brown’s ‘only goal’ is to disrupt Christian Horner, claims pundit

Christijan Albers believes Toto Wolff and Zak Brown are adding “fuel to the fire” to keep the Max Verstappen to Mercedes rumour alive, as they want to make life difficult for Christian Horner.

Speculation that Verstappen could head to Mercedes next season ignited earlier this week when Sky Italia claimed: ‘Mercedes, concrete negotiations with Max Verstappen. Dutchman ready to break free for next season.’

Could Max Verstappen leave Red Bull for Mercedes?

Although Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028 after the Dutchman signed a bumper deal in early 2022, he has a clause in his contract that reportedly allows him to leave the team if he is lower than fourth in the Drivers’ Championship after next month’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Today, with three races to be run before the chequered flag falls in Hungary, he’s third in the standings on 155 points, 36 ahead of fifth-placed Charles Leclerc.

But while that wouldn’t satisfy the clause criteria, Verstappen to Mercedes has been the big topic this past week, with McLaren CEO Zak Brown even weighing in.

“I’m a believer of when there’s smoke, there’s fire,” he told Sky Sports News. “If everyone was committed to their seats, that’s what they would be saying.

“The fact everyone’s talking and no one is confirming anything, tells me there are conversations going on. I said a while ago I wouldn’t be surprised to see Max in a Mercedes.”

He added: “Stay tuned because there might be another chapter.”

More on the Max Verstappen to Mercedes rumour

👉 Max Verstappen exit? What Red Bull and Mercedes have said

👉 Explained: The logic behind Max Verstappen to Mercedes

Wolff, meanwhile, hasn’t done much to silence the rumours as he told the media, including PlanetF1.com: “We are going into territory that I don’t want to discuss out here. People talk, people explore and most important is that in our organisation we are transparent.”

Quizzed on ‘flirting’ with Verstappen having previously stated he wouldn’t, he replied: “Define ‘flirting’.

“No, nothing changed. There is no flirt in that sense. You can flirt or you have conversations.”

But whether there is any truth to the Verstappen rumour, Albers reckons Wolff and Brown enjoying making life difficult for Red Bull team principal Horner.

“Those two, Zak and Toto, can fuel the fire a bit,” the former F1 driver told Viaplay.

“Their only goal is to make life as difficult as possible for Christian Horner, especially in England. Horner obviously loves the attention from all the newspapers.

“Zak Brown and Toto seize their moment.

“Brown can say more, as he is more on the sidelines. I don’t think he’s too worried about it anymore, but I think he’s more trying to help.

“Because at the end of the story, they also have a Mercedes engine in the back, so what Mercedes says, they also want to help with.”

Horner, though, brushed aside the drama, putting it down to Russell trying to force Wolff’s hand as he awaits a new contract for the F1 2026 season.

“The absolute intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026,” he said at Silverstone.

“Now it’s inevitable that he’s of huge interest to any other team and in the pit lane and I think, actually, George triggered all this speculation, probably trying to leverage his own situation and force clarity, which you can understand because he’s driven a very good season as well this year.

“But inevitably, there will always be speculation about that.

“I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team and that’s that’s very clear.”