George Russell has played down Christian Horner's revelation that Red Bull approached his management over a potential move to the team in 2025, insisting that he never seriously considered leaving Mercedes and suggesting the discussions were simply part of the ongoing rivalry between Horner and Toto Wolff.
In his newly released memoir Drive, the former Red Bull team principal revealed that he contacted Russell's representatives during last year's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, at a time when Mercedes were openly pursuing Max Verstappen.
Horner explained that he grew frustrated with Wolff's continued interest in Verstappen and decided to respond by exploring the possibility of signing Russell, whose future at Mercedes remained uncertain at the time.
"Having grown tired of Toto's challenging approach, I decided to fight fire with fire and approached George Russell's management for a meeting," Horner wrote in his memoir.
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"George was coming to the end of his contract, and if it was OK for Toto to constantly talk about my drivers, then I saw no harm in talking to his about a potential move to Red Bull."
Horner also questioned why Mercedes had not yet secured Russell's future despite his strong performances, suggesting that Wolff was waiting for Verstappen to make a decision before committing to the British driver. The discussions took place shortly before Horner's departure from Red Bull in July 2025, with Russell eventually remaining at Mercedes.
Russell dismisses Horner's Red Bull approach as tactical
Speaking to beIN SPORTS Asia ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Russell was asked whether he knew about the discussions between Horner and his management and how seriously a potential move to Red Bull was considered.
"Not serious at all, to be honest," the Mercedes driver replied. When asked whether Horner's approach was simply a distraction tactic, Russell made clear that he never intended to leave Mercedes, pointing instead to the long-standing rivalry between the two team bosses.
"Well, I had zero intention of being anywhere but Mercedes and, of course, between Toto and (with) Christian, there's always a pot being stirred and trying to wind the other up. So, yeah, it was all, I guess, tactical."