Red Bull might need to be ready with a replacement for Max Verstappen soon. It feels weird from the outside as the current triple-time champion has been the best thing that has happened for the Austrian outfit in modern times. Since the time when Sebastian Vettel ended his collaboration with Christian Horner’s team, the Milton Keynes outfit has been struggling to get back to winning ways. For eight years, their cars and drivers could not challenge the domination of Mercedes. Things changed in the final year of the turbo-hybrid era. In 2021, Mercedes won their eighth constructor title in a row. However, they could not bag the Driver’s World Championship with Lewis Hamilton for the fifth time in a row.
Max Verstappen did not let the seven-time champion get to his eighth title in 2021. Since then, nobody has been able to stop the Dutch racer from winning the title. Even Red Bull started dominating again in 2022. Clearly, Max played a key role in turning things around for Horner and Helmut Marko’s team. However, there is a big problem as Red Bull is dealing with a power struggle at present. Apparently, Max Verstappen is not loyal to Christian Horner but only to Marko. Hence, the reigning champion might leave if Marko leaves. Perhaps that’s why Horner is looking for Verstappen’s replacement. Is it going to be Fernando Alonso?
Christian Horner Preparing For The Worst Case Scenario Where Max Verstappen Leaves Red Bull
Currently, the F1 racers are enjoying a break from on-track activities as it is an off weekend. Hence, attention is drawn to the driver’s market quite naturally. As per certain rumors, there have been talks, and Christian Horner is preparing for the worst-case scenario. The dominating team and trio of Horner, Adrian Newey, and Verstappen might come to a sad end. Recently, The Telegraph reported that Christian Horner had a “Serious conversation” with Fernando Alonso. As per the newspaper, the interesting part of that story is that Helmut Marko is generally in charge of all matters concerning driver recruitment for the Austrian outfit. But the Telegraph reported that Marko won’t get involved in that interview.
However, it is even unclear whether Horner is looking for Alonso to replace Max or get the second driver position at Red Bull. However, the internal power struggle might eventually tear the team apart. Previously, Jos Verstappen warned the fans and the media about Christian Horner playing a key role in tearing the team apart. Perhaps those predictions are gradually turning into a reality. After all Max Verstappen has done for Red Bull, he might have to leave the team very soon. It is because he is loyal to the 80-year-old senior advisor who played a key role in bringing him to Red Bull.
Why Fernando Alonso Received A 20-seconds Penalty In Melbourne?
After the Australian GP, the two-time world champion received a big 20-second penalty. But Fernando Alonso does not agree with the penalty. The Spaniard said it is not the driver’s responsibility to drive precisely the same way every lap. After all, that’s what racing is all about. Even the Aston Martin boss agrees with Alonso that the penalty does not make any sense.
Moreover, Mike Krack mentioned in a statement as per GPblog that there was no contact with the following car, so what’s the point of the “20-second time penalty?” Krack also added that the penalty was “A bitter pill to swallow.” Then, why didn’t Aston Martin make any appeal? Krack explained that they tried to make their best case, but it did not work due to a lack of new evidence. That’s why they failed to request a right of review.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.
