Horner responds to Brown's statement: 'Too early for speculation'

Zak Brown speculated that Max Verstappen and George Russell will be Mercedes' drivers from 2022 onwards. Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner reacted somewhat frustrated, calling it too early to talk about that.

Horner not happy with Brown ruling

Horner commented on Brown's statement, saying: "That's pure speculation. And I think it's a bit early to talk about the 2022 drivers," the team boss said as quoted by SpeedWeek.com.

"I don't want to comment on this," said Toto Wolff. He does say that Mercedes will not wait until January before announcing the 2022 line up. Brown let it be known that he didn't want to poke fun at the situation: "That's just my opinion, I think that's the obvious choice for Mercedes. We know that George already has a relationship with Mercedes. And I understand that Max will be free at the end of the year, even though obviously I don't know his contract."

Verstappen's clause

Verstappen has a clause in his contract at Red Bull. The contract would actually last until 2023, but should the RB16B not perform as desired, the young Dutchman can leave the team sooner.