UNBELIEVABLE: Red Bull’s Chief Surprises With Potential 2026 Driver From Rival Team.

Acknowledging the rumors of Ricciardo’s upcoming exit from VCARB, Horner commented, as quoted by Formula1.com:

“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.”

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen’s outstanding delivery contrasts significantly with Sergio Perez’s underperformance, fueling concerns over the team’s future driver lineup. “We’ve given great opportunities to so many young people over the years,” he remarked, citing multiple world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen as the most successful examples.

“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?’

Moreover, the Red Bull team chief hinted at broadening the team’s considerations to beyond the junior drivers. He concluded,

“Look, we are not frightened to get out of the pool. George Russell’s contract expires at the conclusion of next year. It would be silly not to take this into account. Other drivers, great drivers, will also be out of contract.

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