Another day is in the books and as expected, the Red Bull saga continued to dominate the Formula 1 headlines.
The clear message from team principal Christian Horner has been to draw a line under the off-track drama and move on, but has “irreparable damage” been inflicted upon the Red Bull Racing team as we currently know it? Let us dive into these key talking points.
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On the track, all is well for Red Bull, with Max Verstappen having led home a pair of 1-2 finishes to start the season. Behind the scenes though, it feels like a new chapter of chaos is being written every day.
Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins believes we are “a long way from this being done” and fears this version of Red Bull, with Horner as team principal, Helmut Marko as senior advisor and Verstappen as star driver, cannot recover.
Christian Horner clarifies Helmut Marko relations
Whether Horner and Marko are on good terms has been subject to long-running speculation in the world of F1, though this topic has returned to the fore in the turbulent aftermath of Red Bull GmbH dismissing a case brought against Horner by a fellow employee after an internal investigation.
Horner though continues to assure that he and Marko’s relationship is “no issue”, following suggestions he was involved in another investigation which could have led to Marko’s suspension.
Daniel Ricciardo urges calm after rough start to Red Bull 2025 audition
While Red Bull of course has far more pressing issues on their hands right now, looking ahead to 2025, there is an on-track battle taking place for a spot in the main Red Bull line-up.
Going into the F1 2024 campaign, the odds seemed to be in Daniel Ricciardo’s favour to force his way back into the Red Bull team, but an underwhelming opening two rounds for him with junior outfit RB, while Perez has featured in a pair of 1-2 finishes, has cast doubt over Ricciardo’s prospects.
Ricciardo though insists the situation can soon be turned around as it is “quite clear” how he and his RB team can improve.
Oliver Bearman responds to Haas 2025 speculation
Speaking of possible 2025 driver moves, Ferrari’s 18-year-old reserve driver Oliver Bearman has put himself firmly in the conversation after a mighty drive to P7 in Saudi Arabia, after receiving the call-up prior to FP3 to replace Carlos Sainz, who underwent successful appendicitis surgery.
While returning to Formula 2 will be Bearman’s main focus this year, he also is set to contest some FP1 sessions with Ferrari customer team Haas, who he plans on building a relationship with as speculation swirls that he could push his way into their 2025 line-up.
Toto Wolff ‘would love’ to sign Max Verstappen
It seems very few key players at Red Bull are secure in their current roles, including three-time World Champion Verstappen, who has been linked with a sensational switch to Mercedes in recent days.
Leaving Red Bull is an idea which he played down, though he certainly did not close the door on the idea of a Mercedes move, with their team boss Toto Wolff now rolling out the red carpet should F1’s dominant force wish to be the driver who replaces the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton for 2025.
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