Latest news with #TeamVerstappen
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Christian Horner Accused of Causing His Own Downfall Through Team Verstappen
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Sky Sports F1 presenter Karun Chandhok has revealed that former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner was responsible for his own downfall by handing too much power to "Team Verstappen." Horner was ousted by Red Bull last week, and the reason for the decision has yet to be believes Horner's excessive reliance on Max Verstappen paved the way to his departure. Red Bull's F1 car is suited to the four-time world champion to the extent that other drivers have found it challenging to adapt themselves to the car. Verstappen's current teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, is the third driver to race alongside him in the last year. Sergio Perez, who raced alongside Verstappen in 2024, struggled to score points in the RB20. Verstappen went on to secure his fourth title with the same car. Following Perez's exit after the 2024 season, Liam Lawson took his seat in the RB21 for the current season, but was demoted back to Racing Bulls after just two races due to performance concerns. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talks with Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at... Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talks with Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 03, 2025 in Miami, Florida. MoreFollowing Tsunoda's promotion to Red Bull, his performance has notably dropped, hinting at the probability of Red Bull's title challenger being Verstappen-centric. Chandhok believes Horner led a one-car team since it was only Verstappen who scored points consistently, while his teammates struggled with the car. This reportedly gave the Dutch driver excessive power within Red Bull. Speaking on The F1 Show podcast, Chandhok explained: "I think in some of what's happened, if you look at it in recent years, it's become a one-car team, right? We've talked about how since Daniel Ricciardo left, the way the car design has gone, the way the team has been structured, it's very much all the eggs in the Max Verstappen camp and in that basket. "And ultimately that's kind of created his downfall. It's put a disproportionate amount of power into 'Team Verstappen' to the point of which where, if you're the wider Red Bull group, you look at it and go, 'hang on a second, yes Max is on pole of the British Grand Prix, yes he's won two races this year, but the other cars nowhere.'" Chandhok believes the excessive power held by Verstappen became evident, and it was Horner who came under fire for the kind of structure he created within the team. He added: "And actually it's put a huge amount of power in Max's camp. If he leaves that team, they'd be fourth, fifth best on the grid at the moment. "So I think that has been one of the feelings, and ultimately, Christian's got to carry the can for that, because he's the man in charge, he's led that philosophy of structuring the team in that way. "Maybe it's happened by accident, but the reality is he's the man in charge, and I think there's a strong element of that is he's put a lot of power and faith into Team Verstappen. And I wonder if that ultimately comes back to bite him a bit." Related: F1 Insider Makes Bombshell Claim of Verstappen's Involvement in Christian Horner Exit
Newsweek
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
F1 Insider Makes Bombshell Claim of Verstappen's Involvement in Christian Horner Exit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former driver and Sky Sports F1 reporter Martin Brundle has made a big claim that Max Verstappen and his father, Jos Verstappen, could have fueled Christian Horner's abrupt exit from Red Bull Racing. Horner was asked to step down from the position of CEO and team principal with immediate effect last week. The reason for his exit hasn't been revealed yet, but Brundle claimed he had an idea of who contributed to his ousting. Horner's clash with Jos Verstappen reportedly occurred last year. The team boss was accused by a female employee of inappropriate behavior, prompting Jos to argue with Horner over the incident. He even went to the extent of saying back then that Red Bull was at the "risk of being torn apart" if Horner continued to be in his position. The controversy followed a reported power struggle at Red Bull between Horner and senior advisor Helmut Marko. The team's internal situation worsened as key personnel such as Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley announced their exits. Speaking on Sky Sports' The F1 Show podcast, Brundle pointed out that elements were working against Horner at Red Bull. He said: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing, Jos Verstappen, and Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing talk in the garage during day one of F1 Testing at Bahrain International... Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing, Jos Verstappen, and Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing talk in the garage during day one of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 26, 2025 in Bahrain, Bahrain. More"Team Verstappen had been briefing certain journalists and Christian's just come more and more under pressure, and he lost key people like Adrian Newey, like Rob Marshall, like Jonathan Wheatley. "I think his failing on that was convincing himself and trying to convince everybody else that they weren't really doing that much anymore, and it really didn't matter, he'd got a better crew behind them. But that wasn't correct, and I think we've seen [that]. "But let's remember, this is a team that was on pole position last weekend in Silverstone, one of the toughest circuits in the world, and have won two grands prix this year. It's not exactly like it's been a disaster and they completely non-performed. "But I think there were too many things working against him, and I think eventually... He had a lot of support from Chalerm Yoovidhya [Red Bull co-founder/owner], and I think eventually that's faded away, and the inevitable has happened." Horner was replaced by former Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies. Brundle described the sudden replacement as an "odd" move and pointed out that "Team Verstappen" was not happy with Horner heading the team. He added: "For whatever reason, they've decided that Christian's not the man to lead them into the next phase, that Laurent Mekies is, and other people they'll, no doubt, put around him. "So, it's just odd. This is a strange time to do it, and a strange urgency, I would say to that. "We don't know what's gone on behind closed doors, but I do know that Team Verstappen were not happy with him there." When Brundle was asked if the Verstappens offered Red Bull a choice to either keep them or Horner, especially given Max's rumored talks with Mercedes, the Sky F1 presenter said: "I don't know, but what's absolutely clear is that the Verstappen camp have been lobbing in hand grenades for quite some months now, and some of them have gone off, and it's been pretty relentless in that respect. "And I think at times, Max's dad, Jos, has made it absolutely clear that he thinks Christian shouldn't be leading the company and leading the team." Brundle confirmed that Team Verstappen contributed to Horner's ousting, but clarified he was unsure of what exactly played out behind closed doors. However, he still chose to stand by what he had heard and seen. He said: "So I would, yes, they played a key role in Christian's exit. "But like I say, unless you're behind closed doors, then you don't know for certain. "But, there are certain things I do know, and certain things I have seen and heard that makes me think they were pretty involved in this decision."
