Before the start of the 2024 season, Red Bull was engulfed in controversy, when Team Principal Christian Horner was investigated for alleged improper behavior with a female employee. Former Ferrari driver René Arnoux believes this led to Red Bull’s downfall.
Red Bull’s performance at the start of the season was strong. Max Verstappen was winning races, and Sergio Perez was contending for the podium places. But soon, their dominance started faltering, and Arnoux felt it was down to what was happening behind the scenes.
“For months I have been repeating that the ‘s*x and money’ affair, as I call it, would have repercussions,” he told Gazzetta. “I always thought it could destabilize the team. And that’s what we see. Even someone like Verstappen is affected by it.”
Max Verstappen on Christian Horner’s investigation#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/AV4bVHOrqR
— Formula Centric (@formula_centric) February 23, 2024
Verstappen, typically unfazed by off-track chatter, was reportedly unhappy with the Horner situation. He publicly expressed several times his desire for peace and stability, which Red Bull lacked, fueling rumors of his possible exit.
Arnoux added that Ferrari and McLaren have a stronger chance of winning the Constructors’ title than Red Bull. McLaren is just eight points behind, and although Ferrari trails by 37 points, the Frenchman believes his former team can close the gap. He also predicted that the battle for the crown would be exciting in the closing stages.
In the Drivers’ championship meanwhile, Arnoux declared Verstappen as the favorite, despite his and Red Bull’s shortcomings in recent races.
The Dutchman hasn’t won any of the last five races, and the gap to Lando Norris keeps going down — currently at 63. It is a comfortable gap since there are just eight races to go. Arnoux, however, feels that Norris still has an outside chance to win his first title.
