The 2024 Formula One season began in extra-ordinary fashion. With a new contract with Mercedes just a few months old, Lewis Hamilton declared he was leaving for Ferrari in 2025 then Red Bull Racing revealed internal struggles to remove Christian Horner had been under way since the turn of the year.

An independent investigation into the Red Bull team boss’s “inappropriate behaviour” towards a female employee in Milton Keynes had been conducted, with Horner being cleared of all charges. The legal representatives of the female stated that an appeal would be lodged and if necessary an employment tribunal hearing be requested to hear the facts of the case before a UK judge.

The fallout which ensued saw Dr. Helmut Marko threatened with suspension for leaking details of the private investigation and Max Verstappen hinted there were circumstances which would seen him leave Red Bull Racing before his contract expired in 2028.

 

 

 

Red Bull’s domination gone

Verstappen’s father called for Horner to step because his actions were ‘tearing the team apart’ and the spat between Jos and Horner has rumbled on as the season has progressed.

Zak Brown has again entered the fray when discussing the reasons for Red Bull’s loss of domination. Asked by reporters whether he was ‘surprised’ that the world champions have won just three of the last six races, he replied: “Yeah, I think all of us are. I think we all went to Bahrain and went, ‘that’s the championship’.

“It’s gonna be an epic. Mercedes seems to be very on the pace now. Ferrari are there or thereabouts not too many races ago when Charles won.

“So you kind of feel like you’ve got four different teams that are all going to win races in the second half of the year. So pretty, pretty awesome. Unfortunate the season didn’t start now.”

Steiner: Gene Haas could sell to Andretti

 

 

 

F1 development ceiling reached

With Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari jockeying for position to win races, Verstappen’s early lead in the drivers’ championship looks to be relatively secure for the remainder of the year. However, the constructors’ title is a wholly different matter as Sergio Perez struggles each week to contribute to the team effort.

Brown believes the difficulties being suffered by Red Bull racing are down to the fact they aced the new 2022 FI1 car design regulations and are now hitting a ceiling in terms of further development.

“It’s my opinion as opposed to fact,” he explained, “I think they got to kind of terminal velocity, if you’d like, quicker than the rest of us. And there does come a point of diminishing returns as far as just how much you can continue to develop a car.

“I think credit to them, got there first, and now we’re all just caught up, or almost caught up.”

Brown calls out fellow team boss ‘double standards’

 

 

 

Brown says Red Bull “turmoil” will have an impact

Zak Brown has become an increasingly vocal member of the Piranha Club as time goes by. He wrote an open letter to the FIA in effect calling Red Bull Racing ‘cheats’ while their cost cap breach was under investigation.

Following the collision between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in Austria he described Horner’s team radio blaming his McLaren driver to be lacking in “respect” and called on Red Bull to caution Verstappen over his dubious methods of driving.

Now when pressed on whether the Red Bull infighting had played a role on the rest of there field closing the gap to Red Bull, Brown believes the impact is yet to come home to roost but the cracks will return in the near future.

“I think the turmoil will have more of a mid to longer-term impact,” Brown claims. “You know Adrian Newey… this car was done last year, what they are racing now was done when everything was fine.

“I think it’s more of ’26, when you got a new engine coming, what’s going on with the driver front. I think that’s where you potentially are going to see the lack of stability that appears to be there maybe come through a little bit.”

Seidl suffering Audi ‘corporate interference’

 

 

 

“Fractures in various relationships” predicted

The McLaren CEO refers to the open courting of Max Verstappen by Mercedes Toto Wolff, who has suggested the German branded new powertrain for 2026, will again be the class of the field. Yet unlike when the V6 turbo hybrid units were introduced in 2014, there are strict FIA financial and testing limits in place to stop Mercedes outspending the rest of the field again and producing an all dominant powertrain.

Brown continues this appraisal of Red Bull’s future stating that:“Winning holds things together and as that becomes more of a challenge for them, I think that’s where you might see some more fractures in various relationships inside that camp.”

Of course Zak Brown is referring to the departure of Adrian Newey from Red Bull which was announced during the paddock furore over the Horner affair. Newey was obviously involved in the creation of the current RB20 F1 car but Brown believes the impact of his decision to quit will only be seen next season when the F1 guru designer’s input has no longer been given into the design and build of the 2025 car.

Verstappen will choose Mercedes

 

 

 

Newey referred to ‘troubles’ when asked

Newey was pressed on whether the troubles inside Red Bull had contributed to his decision to leave the team he joined way back in 2007. He alluded to being “tired” like Forrest Gump but admitted: “I guess over the winter a little bit and then as events have unfolded this year, I thought… I am in the very lucky position where I don’t need to work to live.”

Yet its unclear whether Newey was referring to Horner’s alleged actions or the corporate strife which has surrounded the Red Bull organisation since the death of its founder Didi Mateschitz.

Schumacher: “Formula 1 is in reach”

 

 

 

Mercedes insider ‘leaks’ Hungary announcement

Despite the starting gun being fired early by Lewis Hamilton’s pre-season announcement he was leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, the race to fill the final vacant Formula One driver seats for 2025 has slowed to walking pace. Expectations were that ‘cork in the bottleneck,’ Carlos Sainz would announce his decision for next season at the Spanish Grand Prix, although a late bid by Alpine for the Spaniard’s services appeared to scupper that time line.

Valtteri Bottas appeared to confirm the Ferrari driver was the key to his own future deal being secured when he told assembled media at the Red Bull Ring, “I was hoping there would be decisions made earlier this week, but deadlines got pushed back again – that’s the situation, so nothing new from last week.

The Finn revealed: ”So yeah, kind of waiting for a piece to fall into place and then it should all happen pretty quick.” Bottas is expected to sign for his old team Williams should Carlos Sainz decide his future lies elsewhere… READ MORE