The Max Verstappen-Red Bull relationship is succumbing to teh internal injuries. The 2023 triumph appeared to be a pyrrhic victory, as the RBR has been in a state of despair ever since. Although the first few races portrayed similar domination, the performance graph went negatively afterward. The most recent nail in the coffin was from Lando Norris in Max Verstappen’s backyard. The Briton’s dominating victory over the home hero left several bruises on the Verstappen-Red Bull relationship.
Moreover, Pierre Wacche & CO.’s technical inability is making things worse. The RB20’s technical woes were exposed on the Zandvoort track. As a result, the RBR starlet was handed a 22-second defeat despite the initial lead. Additionally, the flames of internal mayhem are not engulfing the entire squad. Thus, here is a brief breakdown of the whole conundrum that could destroy the Max Verstappen-Red Bull relationship.
Red Bull’s Technical Woes, McLaren’s Rise, And The Internal Turmoil Could Drive Verstappen Away
Max Verstappen and major RBR personnel have unanimously accepted that the RB20 is no longer the fastest car. However, the Dutchman feels it is a part of the sport, as you can’t always have a dominant racing machine. However, the upcoming races could be turbulent for the Triple Champion. To defend his World Title, the Dutchman faced rising Lando Norris on his upgraded MCL38. The young British racer had been exceptional throughout this season.
Thus, Norris continues to eat Verstappen’s lead, paving his way to a maiden world title. Moreover, the McLaren technical team is having a great time this season. The Papaya squad has finally decoded the ground effect, as the MCL38 appears the fastest. To further aggravate RBR’s worries, the McLaren team has plenty of development gas left in its tank.
On the contrary, Red Bull is in complete shambles, especially with its F1 car development plans. The team is in reverse gear, as they recently introduced an old setup to gain pace. Apart from the technical issues, the internal issues are hovering over the Milton Keynes-based outfit. Despite the truce agreement, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are not yet on the same page. Before the Dutch GP, Marko claimed Liam Laswon would get an RB seat in 2025.
However, Horner refuted this by saying the team is ready to loan Lawson in the upcoming season. Moreover, the Austrian executive never favoured giving Perez another run, as he wanted new faces in the team. Meanwhile, the RBR chief is a huge supporter of Checo and backed him as Verstappen’s partner. Therefore, this burning rift could fire up Verstappen’s rocket to propel to another team.
Toto Wolff & Verstappen Clan Factor
That team could be Mercedes due to the growing admiration between the Mercedes chief and the Verstappen clan. Recently, when Toto Wolff claimed there was a meeting with Verstappens, Max didn’t deny the claim.
Thus, this could be a disaster for Christian Horner, as he has been safeguarding Verstappen from Wolff. However, if the chaos continues to grow while the performance takes a dip, the triple champion wouldn’t be hesitant to pack his bags for Brackley.
