FORMULA ONE
RED BULL are ready to let Max Verstappen go if they are forced to choose between the three-time world champion and embattled team boss Christian Horner.
That is the astonishing view from inside the troubled Formula One team.
Horner, husband of Spice Girl Geri, has spent the past six weeks fighting for his future, but it now appears that the mood at Red Bull HQ has swung in his favour.
And the fall guy could actually be Verstappen.
Horner was accused of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague. The 50-year-old was cleared by a Red Bull investigation, but he now faces a new problem.
The woman at the centre of the scandal feels so aggrieved by the way the company has treated her that she has now appointed a new lawyer and is appealing against the outcome of the Red Bull investigation.
The parent company have suspended the woman, although they claim it is not for raising the complaint, while Horner is still working and preparing for next weekend’s grand prix in Australia.
Red Bull’s partners, Ford and Honda, have also said that they wanted more clarity on the whole process.
The mess came to a head in Bahrain a fortnight ago.
Verstappen’s father Jos publicly called for Horner’s exit, while long-serving team adviser Helmut Marko also wants the Briton gone, as his
LEWIS HAMILTON will need to go above and beyond to beat Charles Leclerc next season, according to ex-ferrari driver Giancarlo Fisichella.
The seven-time world champion (right) will join the Italian constructor when this season ends.
And Fisichella said: “It’s going to be tough. They are two amazing and quick drivers, especially in the qualifying sessions. Charles is always on top, he has scored a lot of pole positions.
“Charles has been in the team for a few years, so, for Lewis, it will be not easy to beat him.
“He needs to be very focused, concentrate and spend a lot of time in the factory Maranello, with relationship with Horner has disintegrated. For a while, it was believed that they had the backing of Red Bull chiefs in Austria, while Thai majority owner Chalerm Yoovidhya was supporting Horner.
But we understand that the team principal now also has the backing of the other shareholders of the company following the outcome of the investigation. That includes Austrian CEOS Franz Watzlawick, who runs the core energy drinks business, and Oliver Mintzlaff who is in charge of corporate projects, such as their F1 teams.
And so strong is their support that, should it come to a situation where they feel forced to pick between Verstappen and Horner, they are ready to call the Dutchman’s bluff.
Sources say the driver’s manager Raymond Vermeulen has already been informed that the company is ready to drive it if it comes to it.
And Marko has created a situation where that might be necessary.
We understand the 80-year-old super advisor, acting as a director of the F1 team, worked to have an ‘escape clause’ inserted into Verstappen’s deal late last year which would release the racer from his contract if Marko leaves.
Verstappen has already publicly threatened to walk away from his contract, which runs until 2028, if Marko were to leave the company.
And, though he stopped short of publicly agreeing with his father’s stance that Horner should be axed, the Dutchman insisted that Verstappen Snr is “not a liar”. the mechanics. But it will be easy for Lewis to get on with the team because the atmosphere in Ferrari is great and the people are so nice, so you feel straight away in the family.”
With Hamilton leaving Mercedes, Silver Arrows team boss Toto Wolff faces a major dilemma on who takes the seat.
Fisichella said: “I would say there are a couple of names like Fernando Alonso, like Daniel Ricciardo, but also like Kimi Antonelli.
“If I were team principal, my first option would be Alonso, because I know him and he’s a great driver.”