Red Bull is "in control" of deciding if Max Verstappen stays beyond 2020, but will need patience before he signs.

The Dutchman's future at the team has been continually called into question this year as he and his father Jos raise concerns over their performance relative to Mercedes and Ferrari.

And though Max's place at Red Bull for 2020 was ensured following two wins mid-season, team boss Christian Horner knows beyond that, nothing is guaranteed.

“It will have to be. Max, Lewis [Hamilton] and Sebastian [Vettel] are all out of contract at the end of 2020, so three of the four big players are in the open market,” he said on whether talks will be delayed.

“Inevitably all of them will wait to see the relative performance of their individual teams during the course of next year, and I would say the first half of next year.”

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Jos' relationship with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff means his son is regularly linked to a future move to the German manufacturer, but Horner doesn't think that will be a decisive factor.

“Max is a very different person to his father. He sees the bigger picture,” he claimed.

“He was in Sakura [before the Japanese GP] and he has seen what is coming, and the commitment of Honda to the development of the engine, and to F1.

“In the factory, he sees what is going on, so I think racing dads, unfortunately, can sometimes get a bit excited.”

What the Red Bull boss did accept, however, is that the team will need to produce a car that can meet Verstappen's wish to fight for the championship.

“It is very much within our control,” Horner suggested.

“He is very happy with the team environment. He wants to realise his ambitions here and it is down to us to provide him with a platform with which to do that. I am confident and hopeful that we can.

"The momentum that we have built this year, it was always going to be a transitionary year," he added.

"I think what Honda have done in improving each of the engines that have been introduced [is positive].

"I think chassis wise for sure we took a bigger hit on the front wing regs than perhaps some of our competitors, but having understood that and worked our way through that.

"It very much feels like we are building good momentum in the latter stage of development of this car into 2020."