– It has never been stronger before.
So comment Christian Horner The unity of F1 powerhouse Red Bull on February 29, ahead of the first race of the 2024 season.
No one believes that anymore. A week after the statement, it can be said that the 50-year-old team manager failed miserably when he tried to shift the spotlight from the biggest F1 pre-season scandal back to the sport.
At the beginning, it should be emphasized that if the allegations about Horner’s inappropriate behavior are true, the actions are reprehensible and the matter serious.
For now, however, Horner will continue as Red Bull’s team manager. According to the investigation commissioned by the team’s parent company, Horner is innocent. Most recently, on Thursday, Red Bull suspended an employee who had complained about Horner’s behavior.
In any case, the scandal has gathered new rounds day by day. It is worth considering why and what can follow from this in terms of sports.
Who plays the rough game?
Englishman Christian Horner has been Red Bull’s team manager for its entire F1 period, starting in 2005.
The investigation into Horner’s suspected inappropriate behavior lasted for weeks, which was one of the criticisms from other teams. The season was already starting. Three days before the first race of the season, Red Bull announced that the independent investigation is over and Horner is free of accusations.
“Everything is fine, the season has started”. It quickly became clear that there was something else going on, although on the track Red Bull started the season as expected, with a double win.
The leaked messages detailing the communication between Horner and the female employee are very incriminating material if they are authentic. Several motorsport media make it clear that the aim is no longer to do justice to the victim, but to bring down Horner.
Business F1 reports that the CEO of the team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH Oliver Mintzlaff had already decided to fire Horner when the accusations once became public.
Mintzlaff offered Horner the opportunity to leave “without losing face”, e.g. citing health reasons. Horner decided to fight. In the end, the result of the independent investigation surprised Mintzlaff for the worse.
Other team managers in the F1 pit have criticized Red Bull’s lack of information and demanded transparency. At least Mercedes have been loud Toto Wolff and McLaren Zak Brown.
Then, after the season’s opening race in Bahrain, the biggest headlines were collected by the champion driver Max Verstappen’s father If Verstappenwhose statements suggest that Horner should fade away.
– As long as Horner remains in his position, there will be tension in the team. The danger is that the team is torn in two. This cannot continue like this, the thing will explode. He plays the victim, but he’s the one causing the trouble.
The grip of power is being wrestled with extreme means
Now there is a “battle on many fronts”.
– Inevitably, it comes to mind that we definitely want to shake the harmony of the Red Bull team, because it has been really tough, says ‘s F1 expert Jukka Mildh.
Red Bull has been sovereign since the rules for the 2022 season changed radically and car development returned to the era of ground effect, so to speak.
Jukka Mildh knows what can happen in the pits, because he used to work there Mika Salon and Nico Rosberg’s as an administrator.
– Power struggle belongs to F1. If there are really strong grudges or broken promises, there is a lot of people in the background who remember. If there is something in the background here, the game can be rough. There are really ambitious people with long memories.
The situation is favorable both for other teams and for people within Red Bull who want to undermine Horner’s position.
– Now, competing teams and people within the team who hold a grudge against Horner or do not accept his actions professionally can have a great influence here, and it has nothing to do with a possible case of harassment.
Several motorsport media have written about Red Bull’s “civil war”. If it is about the team’s own power struggle, it should be remembered that the Austrian businessman Dietrich Mateschitz died in 2022.
The founder and main owner of the Red Bull brand, Mateschitz practically created the Red Bull F1 team together with Horner. Mateschitz was Horner’s “guardian angel”, who gave the F1 team the parent company’s blessing, independence and peace of mind.
– Now that he is gone, there will definitely be a power game going on both in the Red Bull company and in its F1 team, Mildh underlines.
A Thai billionaire who owns 51 percent of Red Bull’s parent company Chalerm Yoovidhya has now sided with Horner.
On the other side of the “civil war” are the Austrian people of the parent company – after all, Mintzlaff already wanted to get rid of Horner. Somewhere in between, Verstappen’s clan and an experienced advisor, a well-known F1 loudmouth, bounced around Helmut Marko.
Who gets their voice heard and on what issue? Red Bull is not just about an F1 team, but a hugely valuable and productive brand. Now you don’t only play with F1 bets.
A domino effect?
Coming back to F1 stakes, contract twists play an important role. In Horner’s situation, there is the possibility of a wild domino effect.
– This is related to the contracts of drivers and key personnel. Drivers’ contracts often include a clause that if a certain person leaves the team or if the team is sold, that can be grounds for terminating the contract, Mildh reminds.
First of all, other stables would be happy to accept workers from the current successful stable. This behind-the-scenes game is constantly being played in F1.
– In a situation where radical changes are made, such a “brain drain” is always possible.
Verstappen’s giant contract with Red Bull runs until 2028, but presumably Verstappen and, for example, the design guru Adrian Newey there is a clause in the contracts that allows for changes if Horner leaves.
From Verstappen’s point of view, this could open the way for him to leave the team or negotiate a better deal with Red Bull, in terms of marketing rights, for example.
There have already been opinions that Verstappen and Horner cannot both continue with the team, given Jos Verstappen’s statements.
The 52-year-old former F1 driver is ultimately a person outside the team, but his role should not be underestimated. That was demonstrated by Max Verstappen’s statements on Wednesday at the media conference of the Saudi Arabian GP, when he was asked to comment on his father’s fiery comments.
– He is always very straightforward. He’s not a liar, that’s for sure. My father and I are very close. We call every day if he is not there.
– I don’t see myself in F1 without them by my side, Verstappen said and referred to his father and manager to Raymond Vermeulen.
Jukka Mildh emphasizes that, first of all, Jos Verstappen as a person is very quick-tempered. He may feel that especially Max and Verstappen’s “court” in general must be cautiously protected in this delicate situation.
– But it does sound as if Jos Verstappen also has his own dog buried or some agenda, that this situation can be exploited.
Verstappen for Mercedes?
British newspaper The Independent is shaping, that in the endlessly flamboyant circus of the Formula Ones, there is always reason to expect the unexpected. Now, however, the intrigues concerning Red Bull can lead to “seismic” effects.
In that respect, it is necessary to note the strained relationship between the 80-year-old Helmut Marko and Horner. Marko is an experienced advisor on the payroll of parent company Red Bull GmbH, who has played an important role throughout Max Verstappen’s career.
Many motorsport media write that Verstappen’s Red Bull contract would also be tied to Marko’s continuation in the team. Marko, on the other hand, stated that he is not going to stand in the way if Verstappen wants out of his contract.
Right now, Verstappen would be giving up a guaranteed championship by leaving Red Bull, but the powertrain rules will change significantly again in 2026. Does Verstappen fear that Red Bull will fall off the bandwagon when Ford becomes the team’s engine manufacturer in the same year?
In addition Jim Clark is the only world champion in F1 history who only drove for one team (with Lotus between 1960 and 1967).
Lewis Hamilton A mega move to Ferrari tells everything about how the world’s best drivers who know their worth feel about the F1 business.
And could Verstappen just go to Mercedes? Mercedes’ Toto Wolff hasn’t hidden his regret that he didn’t get the young Verstappen back in the day.
It’s no surprise that at the Bahrain GP, the media took note of Wolff and Jos Verstappen’s lunch date in capital letters.
– The thing is, no one would have ever seen that Hamilton would move to Ferrari. It’s not about F1, it’s just life. You never know what’s going on around you or what can affect you, Max Verstappen said.
Wolff, on the other hand, was asked on Saturday night in Bahrain if it would be possible for Verstappen to drive for Mercedes as early as 2025. Wolff gave a carefully considered answer.
– I believe that the driver always chooses the fastest car. That’s basically what it’s all about. Right now, Red Bull is the fastest car, so of course it’s a priority.
No one has answered no. And Horner’s case is not over, even though he has answered so in every interview.
Sources: BBC, Motorsport-total, Daily Mail, Autosport, Independent, De Telegraaf, The Guardian