Red Bull's ruthlessness is coming back to bite as junior team's executive pleads against driver's promotion
Driving alongside Max Verstappen in Formula 1 is quickly becoming a death sentence.
Not because the Dutchman's aggressive racecraft, but because of the bizarre dynamic that has turned into a curse at Red Bull Racing.
As we've seen over the past few years, once someone is tapped on the shoulder and asked to step into the shadow of one of the modern day greats, their career takes a handbreak turn towards the portaloos.
Isack Hadjar is the latest to be thrust into the conversation to join Verstappen after Yuki Tsunoda's less-than-impressive run following his abrupt takeover of Liam Lawson earlier this year.
The 20-year-old Hadjar has more than turned heads in his debut season with Red Bull's junior outfit, Racing Bulls. He's shown composure beyond his years and snagged some handy points in the process, racing wheel-to-wheel with some of the sport's greats.
He's scored in more than half of his races since his nightmarish exit on debut in Australia, dragging the car to an impressive sixth in Monaco.
That effort even earned him praise from Red Bull executive Helmut Marko, who very recently humiliated the rookie on his debut by describing his tears in Australia as 'embarrassing'.
We got another glimpse into the inner workings of the Red Bull behemoth this week when Racing Bulls chief executive Peter Bayer publicly begged the senior team to steer clear from promoting Hadjar.
'For heaven's sake, don't take this talent away from us too soon,' he said, per Swiss-German publication Blick
'He should get to know the whole business by the end of 2026.
'Until then, we'll just have to handcuff him!'
2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg also warned Hadjar to be wary of the curse.
'If I was Hadjar now, if ever the team starts to mention [a promotion], I would literally decline,' Rosberg said while commentating at last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.
'Decline as hard as you possibly can.
'Because he's doing such a great job there with the [Racing Bulls], he's in a great position. Just flat decline and say: 'No way.'
'You need to do that. Decline.'
Red Bull's ruthlessness is biting back
Red Bull's impatience has been put on full display this year and it has soured the waters with many fans of the sport. Hailed with pre-season fanfare and a flashy Red Bull promo blitz, Lawson was dropped after just two races. He failed to come close to Max's times in the first two weekends and wasn't given a sniff of confidence to improve.
Tsunoda had long been pushed by Honda and Red Bull as a future star. But in seven races, he has scored just seven points, crashed out early, and been left floundering in Q1 far too often for Red Bull's liking.
Before them came Sergio 'Checo' Perez, the Mexican veteran who was eviscerated online for failing to match Verstappen's alien pace.
And yet, Checo came second in the championship in 2023 — a result that now looks positively herculean when compared to his short-lived successors.
He held back Charles Leclerc in critical team moments, helped secure Red Bull's Constructors' dominance, and played team chess with discipline.
Perez wasn't underperforming so much as he was surviving and he got the raw end of Red Bull's ruthlessness, which ended up leaving him without a seat for 2024.
Verstappen tipped to drop bombshell
Meanwhile, Verstappen has been sensationally tipped to quit Red Bull at the end of the season by a former team mechanic.
He has been linked with an exit from the Red Bull garage, with a team transfer to the likes of Mercedes or Aston Martin.
But ex-Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas believes Verstappen could quit F1 entirely once he wins a fifth World Drivers Championship.
Nicholas believes Verstappen is still in the fight for the 2025 crown and will cut ties with the sport after going five-straight.
'I think Max is going to win the Drivers' this year, and then I think he's going to call it a day,' he said.
Despite his answer, the mechanic insisted he didn't 'know anything' extra about Verstappen's career plans.
'To not back Max is just like lunacy, I think. The guy is just really really good,' he said.
'Not in terms of just his technical skill and his talent, but I've watched Max grow into this guy that can do everything.
'He does everything well now.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
Ferrari target 'magnificent' third straight Le Mans 24 Hour triumph
Ferrari's Formula One fortunes may be flagging but the Italian constructor start this weekend's Le Mans 24 Hour Race as favourites targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport's fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing's crown underway at 1600 local time (1400GMT) on Saturday. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite Hypercars will battle it out over 300 laps (4,000 kilometres plus) in front of a sell-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after a 50 year absence to land Le Mans' centenary race in 2023, repeating the feat last year. The Prancing Horse stable ended Toyota's run of five consecutive wins from 2018 to 2022 with the Japanese manufacturer out to reclaim their crown 40 years after their first Le Mans appearance. A shake-up in the regulations for 2023 sparked fresh interest in the premier class and this year Ferrari, Toyota and Porsche face challenges from Aston Martin, Cadillac, BMW, Alpine, and Peugeot. Ferrari's position as the team to beat is bolstered by their bright start to the season, reeling off wins in the first three world endurance races in Qatar, Imola and Belgium. But Antonio Fuoco, who took the chequered flag 12 months ago along with Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, is taking nothing for granted. "Compared to last year, everyone is closer to the other, it's going to be a tough battle," forecast the 29-year-old Italian driver. Ferrari team manager Batti Pregliasco is wary of the threat posed by Toyota. "The idea of winning a third Le Mans in a row would be magnificent," he said. "But the Toyotas are very strong here because they have the experience, the ability, and the means to win." - 'Bitter-sweet' - Nyck De Vries was sharing driving duties in the Toyota that came off second best in 2024, and the 30-year-old Dutchman is hungry for revenge. "Finishing second last year was a great result but after such a long race, with so many different emotions, it felt bitter-sweet, so we want to put that right this year," said De Vries, summarily sacked by Red Bull's then Alpha Tauri sister team midway through the 2023 F1 season. De Vries is one of a cluster of former F1 drivers including former world champion Jenson Button seduced by the lure of adding their name on the hallowed Le Mans roll of honour - just as Fernando Alonso did in 2018-19 for Toyota, the veteran Spaniard emulating the likes of F1 greats from yesteryear like Graham Hill, Phil Hill and Jochen Rindt. Joining the 21 Hypercars are 17 entries in the LMP2 class and 24 in the LMGT3 category in an event that has been visited by tragedy over the years, with 22 drivers perishing. Le Mans, where eye-watering speeds of up to 400kmh have been reached on the Sarthe circuit's Mulsanne straight, marks the 70th anniversary of the 1955 disaster this weekend when pieces of debris from Pierre Levegh's car rained down on the crowd, killing 81 spectators, although a definitive death toll was never established. A sombre reminder then of the dangers faced by the 186 drivers taking part -- including the all women 'Iron Dames' LMGT3 team of Sarah Bovy, Rahel Fry and Celia Martin. The encouraging news for this brave bunch is that the French met office forecast looks benign, with no rain or storms predicted over the weekend which kicks off with qualifying for pole on Thursday night.
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
Why McLaren had to vet photos of Australian cricketers' meet-up with F1 star Oscar Piastri
When Oscar Piastri invited a handful of Australian cricketers to tour the McLaren factory outside London last week, insiders at the leading F1 team were in a spot of bother. The entire visit was kept under wraps, with all photos and videos from the day subjected to a strict vetting process by McLaren staff. In the high-stakes world of Formula 1, even a casual snap in the wrong place on the factory floor can pose a risk. With rivals like Red Bull and Ferrari always on the lookout for technical edges, McLaren's strict media control was designed to prevent any unintended leaks from inside its highly secretive Woking facility. Therefore images were carefully reviewed with officials on alert for any sensitive details pictured. But now, with clearance granted, the cricket-meets-F1 crossover has finally been made public. For 19-year-old rising Test star Sam Konstas, it was everything he dreamed of. The youngster couldn't believe how relaxed Piastri was, given his position atop the table in arguably the world's most high-pressure sport. 'He's 24. First in the Formula 1. I don't know how he deals with so much pressure on him,' Konstas said, as first reported by Code Sports. 'But full credit to him. 'He's a legend of a bloke. He's a massive cricket fan. Having a bit of time with him was a huge honour.' Piastri gave the Australians a guided tour of the McLaren HQ and even demonstrated a few hot laps on the team's simulator. 'It was a great experience – obviously witnessing all those amazing cars,' Konstas said. 'We actually jumped on the driving simulator and Oscar was driving a few laps and he showed us how it was done.' While Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon kept things steady in the sim, Mitchell Starc was the surprise outlier — clocking the fastest virtual lap among the group. Konstas wasn't quite so confident in his ability behind the wheel. 'I was terrible. I was crashing all the time. It was good fun. I was definitely the worst one,' he laughed. 'Usman Khawaja was like a little kid. We were trying to get him off and he just kept playing.' Lyon, who has kept in regular contact with Piastri in recent years, joked about the need for discretion after seeing what McLaren had behind closed doors. 'The facilities that they have and the way they go about it is pretty phenomenal,' Lyon said. 'I don't know how much I can say, Red Bull might be listening.'
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
Football world erupts after Ange Postecoglou torn to shreds by pundit for his ‘nuclear-strength bull***'
After being sacked by Tottenham last week the football world has largely rallied around Ange Postecoglou, thanking him for his service and his work in breaking Spurs' trophy drought. However not everyone has been kind with one pundit in particular sticking the boot into the Aussie on his way out. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy axed the boss early on Saturday (AEST), just over two weeks after Spurs lifted the Europa League trophy. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Victory over Manchester United in Spain ended the club's 17-year wait for a trophy, but it wasn't enough to save his job after Tottenham's worst-ever Premier League season where they finished 17th. Regardless, in the aftermath of his sacking several of the club's stars came out in support of the Aussie manager, with the likes of Yves Bissouma, captain Heung-Min Son, Richarlison, James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven and Lucas Bergvall all penning heartfelt messages of thanks. While others in the sporting world noted that Postecoglou leaves with a Tottenham legacy that can never be tarnished, ending the club's painful silverware drought. But while the tone has been overwhelmingly positive towards Postecoglou, a few pundits have sung a different tune, in particular, Jonathan Liew of The Guardian, whose scathing opinion piece on the Aussie raised more than a few eyebrows. In a truly inflammatory piece on Wednesday, Liew hinted Postecoglou was mostly talk with little substance and suggested he would be better off managing the likes of the struggling Japanese club Gamba Osaka or Australian cellar dwellars Perth Glory. 'For Ange Postecoglou, who always bristled at the idea that his wealth of coaching experience had somehow been earned in inferior competitions, perhaps his departure from Tottenham really can be a kind of springboard: to one of these prestigious, equally demanding leagues he keeps talking about,' Liew wrote in The Guardian. 'Maybe the struggling Gamba Osaka or Perth Glory could well have a vacancy soon. Motherwell are still looking. A step down? That's just your old-world, Eurocentric, Prem-brained snobbery showing right through there, mate.' But his swipe at the Aussie didn't stop there, summing up Postecoglou's reign rather harshly. 'There may never have been a manager better at defining his own terms of achievement; a managerial reign so evidently built upon a towering silo of nuclear-strength bull***,' Liew continued. 'A coach who urged us to judge him on the league now no longer judges himself on the league. 'A coach who blames Tottenham's abject league performance on a freak injury crisis also takes no responsibility for that injury crisis, for a style of play in which Tottenham comfortably spend more time in high-intensity sprints than any other Premier League team. 'A coach who claims he takes no notice of what is said and written about him has spent a suspiciously high proportion of this season reacting to things that have been said and written about him.' However, his opinion piece did not garner the kind of support he surely envisioned, with the football world turning on Liew. Australian sports reporter Mark Gottlieb wrote on X: 'Used to be a huge fan of Jonathan Liew's writing on football & cricket but he's consistently embarrassed himself with his coverage of Ange Postecoglou over the years. All the way back to those rude, arrogant podcast comments. Rarely seen such blatant England-centric snobbery.' 'This is awfully weird from Jonathan Liew,' X account Spurs Army wrote. 'I found this piece on Ange Postecoglou from Jonathan Liew oddly personal in its criticism of him,' another added. 'Good to see people calling out Jonathan Liew's latest snide piece on Ange Postecoglou. He's always had that tone about his writing in general and this vendetta was a personal one from the early days of the tenure,' a fourth wrote. Jonathan Liew previously admitted he 'can't stand' Ange The latest outburst isn't the first time Liew has torn into the Aussie - on a podcast in 2023 he accused Ange of speaking 'bulls***'. 'I'm just not having Ange,' Liew said on The Guardian's Football Weekly podcast in November 2023. 'I'm not having Ange Postecoglou. As a coach, I can't stand him.' When put to him by host Max Rushden that Postecoglou is a 'lovely man', Liew responded: 'He comes across as a lovely man. All of the people saying he's great, saying he's a great bloke — nobody knows him. 'All you know about him are the little 45-second clips that come from his press conferences or that turn up on your Twitter feed every week.' Liew then took potshots at Postecoglou, mocking his Aussie drawl and use of the word 'mate'. 'Honestly, it's just such bulls***,' Liew said. 'He is an unbelievable talker,' he said. 'On the pitch, things have been going well, but they have a good squad. There was a thirst there for these players to go out and play a high line. I'm not saying he hasn't coached them well. I'm just saying he hasn't coached them brilliantly. He's just said some things. Made them feel good about themselves and his good players have been infused with good vibes. 'What we're seeing now and what we're going to see over the medium and long term is that Spurs are going to regress. They are nowhere near title contenders. They don't have a coach or a squad that's going to get them anywhere near the title race.'
