Jos Verstappen had hinted at Red Bull’s impending downfall at the start of the 2024 season. His primary concern was the allegations of “inappropriate behavior” against Christian Horner, and the British executive’s insistence on remaining as team principal. Verstappen Sr. believed this could be detrimental to the team, especially if some big names leave. And that’s exactly how things have unfolded.
Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley were two key Red Bull leaders who confirmed their exit from the Milton Keynes outfit this year. Newey, reportedly, felt suffocated in the tense environment and decided to call it quits after spending almost two decades with Red Bull. Jos felt that since the British designer’s exit became official, the team hasn’t been the same. Verstappen Sr. visited their garage during races just to support his son Max.
“The team was not like that anymore, of course, after a few veterans made a career switch. That makes the dynamics a bit different for me,” Jos said in an interview with Formule1.nl.
“I want the best for Max. If I go, I go for Max. I come to support him, to have a chat and just to show that I am there for him,” the former Benetton driver added.
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Besides Newey and Wheatley, many other engineers started leaving amid the reported power struggle between the Thai shareholders, who supported Horner, and the Austrian faction of Red Bull.
Newey’s exit roughly coincided with Red Bull’s downfall on the track as McLaren overtook them as the fastest car. There were reports that Newey wasn’t happy with certain elements of the RB20 concept and he took a step back in its development to have his subordinates like Pierre Wache have more influence on the design.
Newey and even Wheatley mentioned that they were leaving the team to take up a new challenge in their career. However, Jos felt the high profile exits could have been avoided had Horner originally stepped down.
It was “difficult” to deal with Horner: Verstappen Sr.
When the investigation against the Red Bull team principal was in full swing, Verstappen Sr. had called for Horner to step back from his role as team principal. But hat did not happen. And, since the allegations against him were not proven, Horner retained his position as the boss.
Jos had claimed that if Horner stayed, the team could “implode”. Later on, when the matter cooled off, he took a step back and did not speak much to let Max focus on a tricky season and an unexpected title fight against McLaren’s Lando Norris. However, now that the season has concluded, the four-time champion’s father has once again started talking about Horner.
He mentioned that it was very “difficult” to deal with the Red Bull boss through this season. While Verstappen Sr. hasn’t been as outspoken as he was in March when he first called for Horner’s dismissal, his differences with the Briton are far from resolved.
