Who’s who in the war that shattered the pristine image that Red Bull had built for years in Formula 1

What would have been first? The chicken or the egg? The complaint of an employee of Red Bull against Christian Horner for “inappropriate conduct” was the straw that was needed to focus attention on the head of the team that dominates this era of the Formula 1 or it has become the perfect excuse for the inner ferocity From the bowels of hell will they explode in public?

The concrete thing is that since the beginning of February this deal scandalous at Red Bull, The domino effect of this free-for-all is very strong.

Horner has denied the allegations. TO Max Verstappen He seemed more serious than usual. Toto Wolff, Christian’s nemesis, takes advantage of this and throws darts: “We defend inclusion, equality, equity, diversity. And it’s not just about talking but about living it day by day.” Giuseppe, the father of Mad Maxlaunched to the press: “You’re playing the victim when you’re the one causing the problems. If (Horner’s) continues, the team will explode.” And he spoke about it animatedly at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Christian arrived hand in hand with his wife. Geri Halliwellwith whom the British yellow press had a picnic.

Horner was relieved when the employee’s complaint was ultimately denied suspended from work. To the sports advisor Helmut Marko They accused him of having leaked everything, he denied it and found himself in the crosshairs. “If Helmut leaves, Max leaves”was heard in the cans from Red Bull. And as if that wasn’t enough, there is now talk of an internal dispute between the majority shareholders of the energy drink company, of Thai origin, and the minority shareholders of Austrian origin.

Fortunately Verstappen and Sergio Perez They conceded two ‘1-2s’ to the team in Sakhir and Jeddah, where the power of their cars proved unattainable for the rest of the mortals… and the irons. So much so that at the start of its twentieth season in Formula 1, Red Bull is accumulating six constructors’ championships and arrived in Saudi Arabia at 115 victories. Not only did it edge out Williams by one to move up to fourth, but this year will overtake third place Mercedeswho awaits the inevitable with 125 victories.

Paradox of these times: image carefully built over the years with results, communication policy, excellent design and drivers with balls falls apart in a few days when a gear gets stuck and reveals that in reality there was not just a lack of lubricant but a real union.

Rained too much, wet. Like Wolff he will be left without Lewis Hamiltonwhich will wear red in 2025 Ferrarievery time he can the 52-year-old Austrian puts himself in difficulty to see if he can break the Verstappen-Red Bull wedge, contractually bound until 2028. “I would love to have Max, because there is no team that wouldn’t go for him,” he said. Horner: Good insect He – replied: “It is natural that all teams have the desire to hire the best driver. Every team would like to have Max, but the best drivers always want to be in the best cars”.

The future of Max Verstappen

Until then, all is well. But… “Max is an important and valuable member of the team”, he underlined as if it were necessary regarding the three-time champion, who with 56 Grands Prix is the third most successful driver in F1 history. In Jeddah he achieved nine consecutive victories and 36th place in the last 46 races. The talented and capricious one is unappealable.

But the emboldened Horner wanted to speak out and unleashed another cataract of speculation. “He IS a wonderful driver, but we are a team and no individual is greater than the team. This team is made up of 1,400 people and each has a role to play.”

And when asked in Saudi Arabia if he was sure that Max will respect his contract, he seemed confident at first, but then said something inevitable: “It’s like anything in life: you can’t force someone to stay in one place just for a piece of paper. If someone doesn’t want to be part of this team, we won’t force them. This applies whether you are a mechanic, a designer or anyone who works in this industry.”

And since this is a big business of sports and entertainment, the interests are so great that it is possible to construct the truth Pleasure, especially if you spread rumors or give notes on purpose to make the topics on the agenda visible. That’s exactly what happened here, according to the manual.

Marko’s position has been discussed in several articles in the specialized press, especially in the British and German ones was under control for a day in front of Jeddah for holding him responsible for leaks on the “Horner case”.

Before the race, on the Austrian public broadcaster ORFMarko denied the accusations and let it be known they wanted to sink it. “I’m happy just to have my iPhone semi-controlled. I purposely stayed out of it. “Associating me with this was almost a planned and cunning operation,” he said after meeting with the executive director of parent company Red Bull GmbH, Oliver Mintzlaffhe finished the buzz.

Horner is satisfied Chalerm Yoovidhyathe heir of Chaleo, the Thai who together with the Austrian created Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz. That’s why she stays in his place. He ignored the rumors about Marko: “At 80 years old he is still motivated by F1, which is good. My relationship with Helmut is not a problem. He is always frank. I really don’t know where the rumors came from. It’s not something I’ve been involved in.”.

But the foreman has the field marked. Jos Verstappen insisted on a rally in Belgium that “it is very important that Helmut stays in the team” and told the Daily email: “I sympathize with the woman (complainant and suspended). Christian therefore has the support of the Thai owner I think he’ll stay for the rest of the season”.

Sling, the Japanese company that supplies engines to Red Bull, wants everything around the team to be spotless. AND fordEven , who will join forces with the team in 2026, doesn’t want to lola.

Also, second BBC Sportsthe Milton Keynes team’s request for transparency reached the British Parliament, where Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labor opposition, was clear: “When accusations are made, they must be taken seriously.”

The working environment at Red Bull Racing is beautiful, isn’t it?