SILVERSTONE -- Christian Horner said Red Bull has to mentally prepare itself for life without Max Verstappen, whether that be next year or later on in this decade.
Speculation about Verstappen's future has dominated the Formula 1 news cycle for weeks.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has made it clear he is keen to sign the Dutchman who has an exit clause in his deal that would free him up to leave for next year if he enters the August summer break lower than third position in the championship.
Verstappen is currently third, just nine points ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell, who's contract extension talks are on ice until the situation is resolved.
Speaking on Friday ahead of the British Grand Prix, Horner once again referred to the situation as "noise," adding: "Everyone is very clear on where we're at. Max has been with Red Bull since the very start of his career. All his success has come in Red Bull Racing cars. He's a big part of our team. He has a great deal of faith in the team and the people around him.
"I think we all sit fairly comfortable with where we're at and what the situation is. You can't control the narrative of others, but internally we know where we're at."
However, Horner gave an interesting insight into where his mindset currently is at, suggesting he has contemplated a future without the four-time world champion at the team.
"Max is a key part of our team, and has been for pretty much 10 years now. So the intention is to keep that going," Horner said. "But one day, whether it's a year after [this] or the year after [that], there will be a day that there is no more Max [at Red Bull].
"You always have to have that in mind, the team always has to keep looking and investing in the future. So hopefully that won't be for several years to come but you never know. You're always investing in young talent. You're always giving opportunities, like we did today with Arvid Lindblad [who drove in place of Yuki Tsunoda in first practice], to see the next generation coming through. Because one thing for sure, in this business, nothing stands still."
Verstappen's contract with Red Bull runs through to the end of 2028 but on Thursday he declined several opportunities to categorically state he would still be with the team next year, although he was coy in general on the topic of his future.
Russell has insisted he is confident he will get an extension with Mercedes and has repeatedly said he has not spoken to any other teams about next year.
When asked if Russell might be a Plan B for Red Bull should Verstappen leave, Horner said: "It's remarkable that George is still on the market. We haven't engaged in any discussion with George, so he's obviously pretty confident that he's going to retain where he is. But look, we've got strength and depth in our team. We've got the Racing Bulls team, we've got Arvid Lindblad.
"2026 is going to be a transformational year. It's the biggest rule change for Formula 1, nobody with hand on heart is going to know what the pecking order is going to be. So I think there's an awful lot of subjectiveness for 2026 and it'll only be this time next year we'll have a clear picture of what that pecking order is. There's no guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be a better proposition."
That 2026 rule change, affecting both aerodynamic and engines, is what makes the Verstappen situation less certain that it might otherwise be.
In layman's terms, every team is engaging in a brand new project and predicting the pecking order at this stage is impossible.
Red Bull is ending its title-winning Honda partnership and will start building engines out of its Milton Keynes factory.
Honda is going to Aston Martin, who have been bolstered by ex-Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, while many in the paddock believe Mercedes' engine will be the strongest next season.
That in itself is no guarantee of success -- Mercedes is currently being beaten by its own engine partner McLaren, who lead both championships comfortably.
Red Bull would be forgiven for feeling a degree of dejavu in possibly losing a four-time world champion -- in 2015, Sebastian Vettel left for Ferrari, having struggled in 2014 to replicate the form that won him four straight championships.
While Horner admitted there were similarities, he stressed that Red Bull is confident its new project will eventually be a force to be reckoned with, even if it does not happen overnight.
"Sebastian left after there was a significant regulation change. In 2014 [the Mercedes] engine smashed all of us. He got a dream offer from Ferrari and decided that that was his future path. I remember [Red Bull founder] Dietrich Mateschitz telling me at the time, we don't need the best driver if we don't have the best car, at that stage.
"It's about building a team...sport goes in cycles. We've had two incredibly successful cycles in Formula 1 and what we want to do is build towards the next cycle. Now, of course, we want that to be with Max, but we understand the pressure that there is next year with us coming in as a new power unit manufacturer, the challenge of that is enormous, but we've got a hugely capable group of people.
"We've invested significantly. We've got a great culture within the team. And, who knows? I mean, to expect us to be ahead of Mercedes next year, it would be embarrassing for Mercedes or for any manufacturer if we were. But I think we're going to be in a competitive position but potentially even to where we are today relative to our other power unit manufacturers.
"I think there's everything to play for. I think what's great is having it all under one roof, the chassis engineers sitting next to the power unit engineers. And that shouldn't be underestimated when you're talking about the packaging, when you've got the ability to have those groups communicating and talking with each other directly over a cup of coffee and within the same facility, that is priceless, and that will pay dividends.
"Maybe it won't be in 2026 but 2027, 28 and beyond, long term for Red Bull it is 100% the right thing."