Max Verstappen, hand to head
That Max Verstappen and Christian Horner had opposing views on the damage the Dutchman’s RB20 suffered when he clobbered a bollard at the Miami Grand Prix has been seen as a sign all is not well at Red Bull.
Despite winning four out of this year’s six Grands Prix, the Milton Keynes squad is constantly making headlines due to rumors of discord and tension following the Horner investigation.
‘After that it becomes even more curious…’
There have been suggestions, although denied by Horner, that Adrian Newey’s departure is a consequence of the February drama.
Last week, Red Bull made an announcement stating that design legend Newey will be departing from the team in the first quarter of 2025. There have been rumors circulating about Verstappen potentially joining Mercedes in the near future.
The announcement caused surprise among the observers in the paddock, but it’s not the sole reason why Formula 1 pundits at NOS are pondering about the situation at Red Bull.
In the Miami Grand Prix held last Sunday, Verstappen was defeated by Lando Norris in a race where the Dutchman collided with a bollard that he humorously mentioned he had a dislike for.
He refuted the idea that his off-track excursion had any lasting consequences.
He expressed, “I couldn’t perceive any difference, so I’m unsure. It’s possible that it was already impaired. I hit that object, but my speed remained unchanged, so I couldn’t really determine if there was any damage.”
However, Horner claims that Verstappen had caused substantial damage to the underside of the car during that incident off the track.
In the Red Bull press release, Verstappen altered his statement by mentioning the issue of “understeer” and his significant difficulties with maintaining proper grip. He further explained that Red Bull had discovered a damaged floor with a hole, which might have been caused by contact with a cone.
Jan Dekker called the U-Turn “curious”.
“It’s quite intriguing that a team manager would openly admit to twenty journalists that he experienced considerable damage, resulting in a negative impact on his lap times,” stated F1 journalist Dekker during NOS’s F1 podcast. “However, Verstappen’s response was simply, ‘I’m unaware of any such matter.'”
Following that, the situation becomes even more intriguing when Verstappen’s statement in a press release suggests that the damage occurred, almost as if someone influenced his words.
“Although everything seems to be running smoothly at Red Bull, there appears to be a discrepancy in internal communication. It strikes me as peculiar that Horner claims one thing while Verstappen expresses a different perspective.”
More on Adrian Newey’s Red Bull exit
Adrian Newey’s gardening leave explained: How F1 legend will spend his final days at Red Bull
Max Verstappen reveals crucial advice to Adrian Newey with Red Bull exit confirmed
On the other hand, Jan Lammers, his fellow pundit, argues that Dekker is overreacting.
The 67-year-old suggests, “Perhaps they haven’t communicated with each other yet. It’s possible that one person has come across some data and shared it with Horner, while Max is occupied with other tasks.”
He was asked the questions before he had spoken to everyone.
Jeroen Bleekemolen, a Dutch racer, suggests that Verstappen’s remarks during the press conference could have been intended to ensure Norris receives full recognition for his first Grand Prix win.
“He said that Verstappen possibly chose not to take away from Norris’s victory, expressing that he had genuinely outperformed him and had a superior car.”
Read next: Adrian Newey’s next move: Ranking F1 legend’s options for life after Red Bull
