The Red Bull Formula One dream team appears to be crumbling before the eyes of the world. Their CEO and team principal is facing a potential employment tribunal, guru designer Adrian Newey is stepping back from F1 duties and Max Verstappen despite his contract which runs until 2028 is considering leaving his Red Bull family.
The once serene operation that is dominating the sport of Formula One stumbled at the turn of the year, when a female employee accused Christian Horner of “inappropriate behaviour.” This resulted in an eight week investigation which exonerated the Red Bull boss but the matter is now subject to an appeal from the employee who has since been suspended.
Verstappen Snr incendiary attack on Horner
Whilst the F1 media frenzy developed around the allegations in Bahrain, Horner remained steadfast until an unexpected attack from left field. Max Verstappen’s father launched a public attack on the Red Bull team principal claiming, “There is tension here while he remains in position. The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
Horner and Jos were then seen in confrontation through the glass of the Red Bull hospitality facility, something Christian sought to play down later stating “a line had been drawn under the debate between the two of them.”
Verstappen Snr then inflamed matters further dismissing Horner’s recollection of the matter as faulty. “I think it’s a bit too late for that now. If that’s what he [Horner] wants, fine, but I don’t think it will be possible. I don’t want to talk too much more as it will create problems.”
Verstappen’s father has gone quiet for the past month and has not been seen present as part of his regular role within the Red Bull trackside team for three races now. His presence in Miami this weekend is uncertain, but should Jos be absent again this would be a ru of unusual absences for Max’s father.
Jos Verstappen breaks his silence
However, Jos has surfaced and German media outlet AMuS are reporting his response to the announcement Adrian Newey is leaving the team. “This is what I was afraid of,” said Jos in a comment which is self justifying.
“It is important that key personnel remain on board,” the former F1 driver told De Telegraaf. “This is not the case now. Newey is leaving – at the beginning of the year it seemed that Helmut (Marko) would be fired.
“It’s not good for the future of the team.”
One thing is clear, the vacuum which followed the death of Red Bull founder Didi Mateschitz has apparently played out. The plot to oust Horner has failed and his position is now strengthened with the unconditional support of the Thai majority shareholder.
Red Bull cost cap masterstroke with Newey internal move
To leave or not to leave?
Newey was reportedly considering leaving Formula One last year only for Christian Horner to persuade him to sign a contract keeping him with the team until the end of 2025. The accusations made towards Horner are nothing to do with Newey’s choice and merely serve to support the Verstappen Snr narrative that Horner must leave.
The next big call is to come from the Verstappen family. Do they believe they are the magic Formula that is giving Red Bull its domination? Do they believe Max could go to Mercedes or McLaren or Aston Martin and win races and titles?
Could even Max move to Ferrari in 2026 and end Lewis Hamilton’s F1 career in a renewed link up with Adrian Newey?
As one famous F1 commentator used to say when asked about the weather. “Stick your hand out in the pit lane and that will tell you all you need to know,” were the words of wisdom. The same is true when trying to decide which is the best F1 team to drive for – with the answer being the one winning championships right NOW.
Red Bull risk for 2026
Of course there is a big rule reset coming in 2026, but a huge part of the changes will come in the aerodynamics of the F1 cars. This is something Red Bull has been the master of even when they had power units incapable of competing for race wins.
Red Bull are attempting something no team has ever tried before in building their own highly complex power train for 2026. Yet while there are questions over whether the F1 upstarts can compete with auto manufacturers who have been designing engines for over a century, the challenge is not as big as for the last engine changes in 2014.
The teams face restrictions this time with their R&D time and spend on the new power units. Bench testing time is regulated and the budget is fixed for all those producing a 2026 F1 power unit. Last time around Mercedes allegedly spent over $1bn in R&D, four times the amount of Ferrari and even more multiples than Renault.
Verstappen “unhappy” with Newey
Time to ‘put up or shut up’
Jos Verstappen’s latest broadside to Horner over the Adrian Newey departure has done little for team harmony. The inevitable questions will pour in this weekend as the Red Bull team boss is inundated with enquiries over the future of Red Bull Racing.
Yet if the Verstappen’s think they are bigger than the Red Bull team, Formula One racing will get more interesting in the near future because the only cars which look to be claiming the next four F1 championship trophies will be those sponsored by Oracle Red Bull Racing.
Honda drop plans for Tsunoda at Aston Martin
Shocking “COLLAPSE” in Red Bull team spirit reporte
The news this week that Adrian Newey will no longer participate in the Red Bull Racing team’s future is for many shocking. Having felt he could no longer control his own destiny at McLaren, Newey changed his mind on quitting the sport when Christian Horner persuaded him to join the nascent Red Bull Formula One project for the 2006 season.
Newey together with Horner have across twenty years built the world championship winning team from the ashes of the failed Ford owned Jaguar F1 outfit. Red Bull were criticised in the early days for being ‘the new kids on the block’ as well as the ‘party animals’ pumping out beats from the garage like “who let the dogs out” when celebrating a Sebastian Vettel victory…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Problem is…. Jos Verstappen!!!! Please shut up and leave Red Bull. Take Max with you please. Everyone has had enough.
Exactly!
Dave and Jeff… another two bozoo’s that had no problem at all with 7 years Ham domination but immediately stand up when someone else does the same for 3 years… hypocrite loosers 🤣
As much as I have a distaste for Jos, it is clearly Horner causing Red Bull to blow up. Soon the will be mid-fielders for good.
Horner was cleared of any wrong doing. Jos, the media and who ever else is leaking info are the problems. Jos is the biggest issue. Name another sport where a team let’s a parent cause this much chaos. None. Get rid of him and let’s race.
Horner needs a rocket fired at him and to re- urn respect and go on with his MGT process
RB needs to fire Helmut and give Joe the heave ho from the garage.
Then let’s get back to business.
“Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
Some kill their love when they are young,
And some when they are old;
Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
The dead so soon grow cold.
Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does not die.”
Oscar Wilde
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
The only problem RB has is Jos V! He has no business being anywhere around the RB paddock. He needs to shown the stands and told to sit there. His opinion doesn’t matter and is justing causing dust to fly. No other sport in the world would let a father of a player cause so my ruckus, except F1. Get Jos out of the team areas and just focus on racing!
You are 100% correct. How embarrassing for his son. Jos was never famous when he raced and now he is trying to be behaving like this. Go home and watch the races from you couch.
Jos seems to be the trouble maker, what’s his input in the team been? Stay hoe and shut up
These earth shattering, doom impending headlines and articles are RIDICULOUS. Dozens of articles written on the flimsiest rumors and what is actually happening?!? Next spring, NEXT SPRING! Adrian is leaving Red Bull. It will have no effect on any team until 2026 at the earliest. And who’s to say Mr Newey doesn’t fall in love with the peace and tranquility the ocean will provide him in his brand new Oyster sailing yacht? Dime to a dollar he never returns to F1 and all this spilled ink is for nothing
Jos Sr, take your crappy, sub standard deviant marbles to someone else’s sandbox. You did great getting Max here, how about stop trying to tear down that which you don’t hold a candle to?
For Max to also be the Champion next year he will need to be in the fastest car and that will not be a Mercedes. Mercedes will take longer than 2 years to have a chance of being at the front and Lewis was well aware of that.
The team most likely to challenge Red Bull, in this year and next, is Ferrari and we all know that those 2 seats are taken.
As others have stated, it’s sad that Jos v seems to enjoy being a disruptive influence.