This is a sort of aftermath to my posts from last week. It's looks like the entertainment of F1 is neverending. It's a rollercoaster of emotions type of sport - both on and off track. This whole investigation and drama seems to make a life out of itself.
The investigation into the actions of Christian Horner is slowly coming to a head. It has been said that Horner might lose the civil war. After the Saudi Arabia race last week, Max Verstappen was scheduled to take a flight home with Horner. He, instead, rescheduled one and went on a flight with Helmut Marko - Verstappen's closest and most important confidant. This is despite the possibility of Marko being a rat. Horner was left to fly alone with his wife, Geri Halliwell.
In Saudi Arabia, Horner walked hand in hand with the ex-Spice Girl. This was done to symbolise that the allegations are over. It's also to claim that he was the victim and not the perpetrator. It was so elaborate that everyone involved in the scandal believe that German director and producer, Leni Riefenstahl, couldn't have put on a better show.
A new twist has emerged as a result of this scandal (known as The Paddock City Scandal). Thai majority shareholders are following the advice of Austrian minority of Red Bull GmbH around CEO Oliver Mintzlaff and share heir Mark Mateschitz and have decided to distance themselves from Horner.
There are three prime reasons why this is being done. First, in the U.S., there have been calls for boycotts from influential women rights activists that have been increasing since the affair became public. The U.S. market is important for Red Bull. Secondly, Red Bull rulers are fearful that the employee could go public and fight back against the internal investigation. It's believed that it may have not been as objective as fans initially believed. The third is wild but true: U2 will be assisting the employee by writing a song. Her brother is the son-in-law of U2 cult guitarist, "The Edge."
One thing seems to be certain: Horner will lose the battle and war and is mostly likely to be heading to the exit door of Red Bull before the Australian race (24 March) (Bach, 2024 (F1 Insider)).
Things might be looking up for Max Verstappen amid all this turmoil. Red Bull have stated that they won't force him to stay if he wants to leave. This is despite Verstappen being contracted until 2028. He continues to stand by Helmut Marko. He stated in Saudi Arabia, "I've always clearly indicated that he [Marko] has to stay. I can't continue without him."
Verstappen has obviously less support for Horner. However, the latter will allow Verstappen to leave if he wants to. He has gone on record to say, "It's like anything in life: you can't force somebody to be somewhwere just because of a piece of paper." This comment marked a change of tone from the one in Saudi Arabia. Horner stated there that he believed that Verstappen would see out his entire contract.
There are growing frustrations of the constant internal problems and how it's being played out in the media through leaks and private briefings. Restoring calm in the F1 world has not been helped by Marko's statements about a possible suspension; Verstappen's quit threats and Jos Verstappen's criticisms of Horner.
Horner still believes that there is a good relationship between him and Verstappen. He has said, " It's absolutely fine with Max. He's working well within the team. There's no tension, there's no stress, and you can see how relaxed he is around the garage with everybody in the team." It's this behaviour that has prompted Horner to be confident that the racer will see out his contract - despite other teams lurking for Verstappen's services. He believes that the car performances will be the deciding factor (Noble, 2024 (Autosport)).
It's hard to put words together to describe this whole situation. I can't believe just how delusional Christian Horner is. It can be so hard to imagine a person like this: someone who only wears beer goggles. It's maddening. Someone needs to give him a reality check and remove the goggles he's wearing. I'm pleased that everything is going in Verstappen's favour. Athletes shouldn't get involved in sporting politics. The only talking they should do is on the playing fields.
I want to thank Marc Lieberthal for providing the information for this post.
References
Bach, R. 2024. (F1 Insider). Turning point in the Red Bull scandal: Horner about to be thrown out? Available from: https://f1-insider.com/formel-1-horner-red-bull-wende-feuern-62457/ (Accessed: 10 March 2024).
Noble, J. 2024. (Autosport). Red Bull will not “force” Verstappen to stay if he wants out. Available from: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/red-bull-will-not-force-verstappen-to-stay-if-he-wants-out/10586252/ (Accessed: 11 March 2024).