Christian Horner says Red Bull have not "become idiots overnight" and is ignoring suggestions Max Verstappen could quit the underperforming team for Mercedes.

Red Bull dominated Formula One throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024, winning 21 of 22 races in the former season, then starting the latter with seven victories in 10.

However, the poor performances of Sergio Perez and a late-season wobble from drivers' champion Verstappen saw Red Bull lose the constructors' crown to McLaren last year, and things have got worse for the team in 2025.

Red Bull are currently fourth in the constructors' championship, 255 points behind McLaren, while Verstappen is well adrift of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the drivers' table.

Their campaign hit a new low on home soil at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen unable to finish following a first-lap collision caused by Kimi Antonelli, while team-mate Yuki Tsunoda placed last among the 16 finishers.

Horner cut a defiant figure when speaking to Sky Sports, though, saying: "I still believe that we have strength in depth in this team. Unfortunately, we haven't seen the performance that we would like. 

"We're at the end of a set of regulations. I think we are compromised by some of the tools that we have.

"But it's the same fundamental group of people that 18 months ago designed a car that won every single grand prix bar one. They didn't suddenly just become idiots overnight.

"You have to acknowledge the great job that McLaren are doing, and congratulations to them."

Attention turns to the second part of this home-and-home double header #F1 || #BritishGP  pic.twitter.com/98sfJ3YH2n

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) June 30, 2025

Ahead of the race in Austria, Mercedes principal Toto Wolff confirmed the team are in talks over an ambitious move for four-time world champion Verstappen.

Verstappen has refused to commit to Red Bull ahead of wide-reaching regulation changes taking effect in 2026, but Horner is confident they remain an attractive prospect.

He said: "We just focus on ourselves. We know what the situation is with Max. 

"We know what the contracts are with Max, and you know the rest is all noise that's not coming from here."

Verstappen is now 61 points adrift of drivers' championship frontrunner Piastri and 46 behind Norris in second, and Horner hopes the Dutchman will benefit from the pressure being lifted in the closing months of the season.

"Hopefully people will not mention it too much anymore," Horner said of the title race. "We try to do our best, always. My mentality doesn't change. 

"We've won a lot in the past. Sometimes you have to accept that you are not winning, and we just try to do the best that we can."

The F1 season continues at Silverstone this weekend, with the British Grand Prix taking place on Sunday.