Jos Verstappen, father of Max Verstappen, made a prediction back in March. He said Christian Horner, with his futile management, would ‘tear apart’ Red Bull. The statement surfaced amid controversy surrounding Christian Horner, who was embroiled in a sexual misconduct case. Now, after the shocking departure of the Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey, fans believe Sr Verstappen’s forewarning might come true.
The most celebrated technical head, Adrian Newey, will leave the setup once the RB17 supercar project ends. However, RBR is concerned that the technical maestro is free to join a rival team. With almost four decades of experience, he has multiple options, with Ferrari being the frontrunner. Therefore, the soap opera at Red Bull might not end soon.
Max Verstappen Feels ‘Terrible’ After Securing Pole Position at Miami Sprint Qualifiers
The Max Verstappen juggernaut is ruling the paddock. He secured the pole position at the Friday sprint qualifications. However, the champion racer was not pleased with his performance and called it ‘Terrible.’ The Dutchman has won three trophies on the trot and is on the verge of winning fourth this season. Moreover, his remark has re-ignited the speculations of an internal rift at RBR. Earlier, the Dutch racer Tom Coronel decoded Verstappen’s current situation at Milton Keynes. He feels the reigning world champion lacks the ‘fun factor’ at RBR. Further, he said the lack of enthusiasm is visible on track; despite the performance, the racer doesn’t look content. Now, the latest media interaction of Verstappen might support Coronel’s ‘lack of enthusiasm’ remark.
However, the aero wizard, Newey’s departure, and Horner’s involvement in the scandal might materialize Jos Verstappen’s prediction. Christian Horner has failed to maintain peace within the setup despite the on-track domination. Since the internal power struggle disruption, all is ‘not well’ with the energy drink-based outfit. Moreover, Neweye’s decision to leave resulted from being undervalued and dissatisfaction with management. He was the first and the most important domino to fall. Could this be the onset of the fallout at Red Bull, or are things not as dramatic as they appear?
Will Red Bull Contain the Damage, or Will Verstappen Be the Next Domino to Fall?
Since the official confirmation of Newey leaving Red Bul, speculations are hovering over Verstappen’s F1 future. The latest product of the rumor mill was the Dutchman’s potential move to Mercedes. However, Max Verstappen disregarded all the buzzing bees in a media interaction. The racer is happy to work with Red Bull and is satisfied with his earnings. Additionally, money wouldn’t be a deciding factor in his F1 future, as performance is the priority of the world champion. Therefore, his vote of confidence might help Red Bull’s management to contain the damage.
However, this is not the case, as Verstappen concluded that life and sports are ‘unpredictable,’ and anything can happen. While his final words might leave room for speculations to re-emerge, Red Bull Racing will likely interpret this as him being playful. Until then, the Red Bull-Verstappen duo will continue to dominate the racing circuit.
