Reports of Max Verstappen wanting to leave Red Bull came as a huge shock to the F1 community. The most dominant driver in F1 at the moment, was believed to be upset with the turmoil within the team, putting his $275 million contract in jeopardy. However, Guenther Steiner believes that the situation at Red Bull has now calmed down, and he expects a ceasefire to keep Verstappen tied to the team.
“There’s still a chance that he [Verstappen] could leave Red Bull. Because it seems like there might be some damaged relationships there. I think it has calmed down lately,” said Steiner in an interview with Sky Sports. “I think getting out of the contract would be not easy for him. But, in the end we don’t have insight into the contract but I think it’s also a good team to be at the right moment.”
Initially, rumors of Verstappen considering an exit emerged when Helmut Marko’s place was in danger. The latter was under investigation, after being accused of leaking sensitive information to the media. Verstappen signaled that Marko’s presence or absence in the team would directly impact his future too.
The entire saga spread from the allegations that Christian Horner had to deal with before the season started. It started an internal conflict within the team, and reportedly, created a division with Marko and Horner opposing each other’s position. Verstappen was on Marko’s side, and Horner responded to it by stating that no one is bigger than the team (as reported by The Guardian)
In the end, the Thai owner of Red Bull, Chalerm Yoovidhya, stepped in. He calmed things down at Red Bull, with no major figure talking about leaving since.
The aftermath of the crunch meeting with Red Bull bosses
Following the conclusion of the Australian GP, Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen’s manager, sat with the top Red Bull bosses to clarify the Dutchman’s stance. According to reports Vermeulen did not try to persuade Yoovidhya to sack Horner.
Besides this, Verstappen’s future in the team was also a topic of discussion and the three-time world champion is unlikely to move elsewhere. Hence, Marko and Verstappen’s future with Red Bull seems secure for the time being. Unfortunately for Horner, new developments in his ongoing saga keep emerging.
After an unnamed Red Bull employee’s initial complaint against Horner’s inappropriate workplace behavior, the grievances against the 50-year-old were dropped. Then, she decided to move to the English Labor Court against the team’s decision to suspend her.
While the victim reportedly has Mark Mateschitz and CEO Oliver Mintzlaff’s support, Horner has backing from the Yoovidhya family. Given the Thai bosses have 51% shares and are majority owners, Horner is still clinging on to his job.
