Much to the dismay of many F1 fans, Max Verstappen dominated again in the 2024 season opener, but his dominance on track is about to be overshadowed by a civil war between his father, and the team to which he owes his success on track.
This is the kind of power struggle Hollywood script writers can only dream of, and for now it is Christian Horner who has the backing of the majority Thai owner of Red Bull, the king maker.
For how long?
It is thrilling stuff, as much as it’s also an unedifying circus for the sport.
There’s no doubt F1 would be more competitive without Max Verstappen creating such a boring spectacle on track, meanwhile the offtrack shenanigans would be far less unpleasant without his father in the pit-lane.
Unfortunately the Verstappens are a turn off for viewers at the moment, which will worry sponsors and TV networks.
This will also be difficult to witness for other Red Bull key figures, especially Adrian Newey who could jump ship to Ferrari at any time if things get out of control.
The day after the first race of 2024, Jos spoke out against Horner to the media (two tabloid newspapers, as summarised here by the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/68461379)
His choice of publication will raise eyebrows, as it is De Telegraaf, the source for many of the original leaks and currently by sued by Horner himself.
With this, Jos makes himself the prime suspect accused of orchestrating so much of the leaked material, including screen shots of WhatsApp involving Horner and his executive assistant. If the material is actually real, she is unfortunately named in one of the leaked messages due to an improperly cropped screen shot.
Collateral damage, with the leaker(s) happy to use this alleged female victim as a pawn in a wider game of power and politics. Meanwhile, the internet has a field day over “File 76” and Horner gets to face a trial by tabloid press with Jos adding fuel to the fire today by publicly calling for him to go.
One wonders, with his son riding so high at the moment, what Jos stands to gain from going to war with the team principal. Meanwhile, I’d be interested to see where Helmut Marko stands one side, where many of the team’s long-standing key technical figures stand on the other, and where Max stands – perhaps stuck somewhere in-between?
If it is a distraction for the world champion driver (and it surely must risk becoming one) Max currently isn’t showing it in terms of lap time.
If I was Horner I would be tempted to take the nuclear option,
And that is to sack Max Verstappen.
With his son gone and Jos Verstappen permanently excluded from the paddock, Horner and the team reassert control. After all, it is Red Bull Racing, not Max Verstappen F1.
To find him a drive elsewhere would reflect nicely in the Red Bull balance sheet, he’d have no shortage of options either. Red Bull could then take back Alex Albon, repaying Horner’s debt of gratitude to his Thai friends and probably still win the championship anyway with him and Perez in 2024, such is the car advantage this year.
In F1 drivers are dispensable, the team comes first.
The more realistic scenario is that Jos ends up being the one tarnished and excluded from the sport, whilst his son remains riding high.
Max risks being estranged from his father, in much the same way Max’s partner Kelly Piquet has an embarrassing father who is persona-non-grata in the F1 pitlane.
That is a bad reflection not on Horner, but on Jos Verstappen and the others in his camp, perhaps Helmut Marko too.
Those in Red Bull will be keen to see the power struggle and civil war immediately resolved, but how?
Either the team principal goes, or the father of the world champion does. And that is not a very easy decision to make for the parent company, or indeed FOM and the FIA if they choose to get involved too.
As it is, the sport is being tarnished by it.
And the on track action is rubbish.
Something, dear readers, will have to give… and soon.
Footnote
The Bahrain race took place on a Saturday, due to the F1 circus needing to wrap up and pack for the next weekend’s race in Saudi Arabia. This schedule is being dictated due to the religious festival of Ramadan, starting on the 10th March, so that the racing in the region has to conclude a few days before.
I don’t like the shift to Saturdays at all, and the sooner we get to a proper race track in Australia, and in Italy at Imola, the better.
The crowd in Bahrain was mid. It was sparse. The track itself is bland, it has been in the sport 20 years and yet it still feels like it adds nothing in terms of history or prestige.
If F1 loses popularity due to the borefest of Verstappen’s domination for a third season running, just as it is was hitting peak mainstream popularity after the stunning 2021 season and Netflix serialisation, it might not be a bad thing. No more Middle East car parks, no more Vegas, no more Miami, no more Kardashian style psychodramas.
