Max Verstappen, three-time F1 world champion, is desperately trying to keep things together at Red Bull ever since the political unrest broke out earlier this year following Christian Horner’s sexual harassment case. He even threatened to leave, which salvaged the damage to an extent.
However, the internal differences appeared irreconcilable as cracks widened heading into the summer break. Following Adrian Newey’s bombshell exit announcement, Red Bull dropped another confirmation of a key personnel’s exit in 2025. Amid speculations of a collapse, Max Verstappen reacted to the new developments and gave his honest take on the evolving situation.
Max Verstappen Wishes Luck To Departing Jonathan Wheatley
Max Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 world champion, has finally spoken out about Jonathan Wheatley’s unexpected departure from the Red Bull Racing team. Wheatley, who served as the Sporting Director at Red Bull, played a crucial role in the team’s strategic decisions, contributing significantly to their recent successes. He was touted as team principal Christian Horner’s successor. However, heading into the summer break, Wheatley committed to Audi. He will take over the team principal’s job at Audi from the 2025 season onwards. Notably, Wheatley is Red Bull’s second domino to fall after aero wizard Adrian Newey, who confirmed his premature exit earlier this year. That being said, Max Verstappen is the most affected person by these changes in dynamics, as he wanted a united front.
At the Dutch Grand Prix media day, Max Verstappen broke his silence on Jonathan Wheatley’s exit and wished the latter the best for the future. “I have a great relationship with Jonathan, and it always will be like that anyway, even if he’s moving to a different team,” he said. Verstappen acknowledged Wheatley’s contributions to the team and called him someone who always had the team’s best interests at heart. However, with a bigger career opportunity on the horizon, it’s only natural for Wheatley to take the plunge, and Max has no hard feelings regarding that. “Of course, he will be missed within the team, but as a team, we also have to look at the future and move on from that,” Verstappen added. As far as replacement is concerned, the Dutchman confirmed that Red Bull is yet to take a call. It will likely be an internal promotion, with Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase also a potential replacement candidate.
Verstappen Cast Doubts On His Future While Celebrating Milestone
Meanwhile, the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix will be Max Verstappen’s 200th career race appearance. While it’s a milestone worth celebrating, Max Verstappen instead casts down on the longevity of his F1 career. When asked to reveal if he will stick around in F1 to drive 200 more races, Max said, “No.”
Notably, Max Verstappen had previously expressed his desire to seek alternate opportunities outside the tracks of F1. He wants to lead a life beyond the realm of motorsports as the sport is getting hectic each year. Hence, after his current contract expires with Red Bull, Verstappen will revisit his priorities and take a call accordingly.
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