Alarm mood at Red Bull: Verstappen before moving to Ferrari?

Alarm mood at Red Bull: Verstappen before moving to Ferrari?

Red Bull Racing is currently facing a turbulent phase, which flares up after a disappointing tactical failure at the Formula 1 race in Monaco. Team boss Christian Horner and driver Max Verstappen are at the center of internal conflicts that have been going on for over a year. This turmoil began with Horner's chat affair at the start of the season and now appears to be manifesting itself in a power struggle between the Thai and Austrian team representatives. While Horner and Chalerm Yoovidhya represent the Thai side, Marc Mateschitz, Helmut Marko and Verstappen are on the Austrian side.

The rumors about Verstappen's possible departure are getting louder as he lacks a competitive car. In the current season he only managed to achieve two victories, while he only finished fourth at the Monaco GP. The team had tried to achieve victory using a daring safety car tactic, but it didn't work out oe24 reported. The next Grand Prix in Spain is approaching and the chances of improving performance seem slim.

Strategic decisions in Monaco

After the race, Horner explained that Red Bull had taken a certain risk by starting with hard tires and hoping for potential safety cars or red flags. Verstappen led for large parts of the race, but the strategy ran into difficulties as it progressed. During the first pit stop phase the team was close to Oscar Piastri, but decided to take the risk and continue. This ultimately led to the unfortunate position where Verstappen switched to the medium tires for his second stint and stopped on the final lap. Loud Formula 1 The strategy was designed to be in the lead in the event of a safety car.

But the developments behind the scenes at Red Bull are no less worrying. A recent offer from Ferrari for Horner, which he most likely rejected, has raised alarming signals at Red Bull. Ferrari is dissatisfied with the work of Fred Vasseur and also has problems with Lewis Hamilton. This uncertainty about the future of Horner and Verstappen increases tensions in the team. Jos Verstappen said in an interview that Red Bull should seriously question itself if the situation doesn't get better soon, which adds to the drama.

Team dynamics and internal tensions

Team dynamics at Red Bull is another critical issue. The relationship between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez is particularly striking. Perez, as a secondary driver and often in Verstappen's shadow during his time with the team, sees his contract, which ends in 2024, increasingly threatened. Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has highlighted the challenges facing Perez and advises him to mentally isolate himself and focus on his performance. This internal favoritism has implications not only for Perez, but also for Red Bull's future strategy and success, such as Living With Gravity analyzed.

A balanced management of relationships between drivers will be crucial to team performance in Formula 1. Given the internal tensions and uncertainty surrounding Horner and Verstappen's future, Red Bull Racing could face one of the most difficult challenges in team history.