Red Bull’s 2024 season has been plagued by turmoil behind the scenes and recent reports of Adrian Newey wanting to leave isn’t doing them any favors. Consequently, rumors of Max Verstappen following Newey out of Red Bull emerged and Peter Windsor feels things could unravel within the Milton-Keynes-based outfit as a result.
Windsor, in his latest YouTube video, said that Mercedes could end up signing Verstappen in the coming months. In that case, it could be easier for the Silver Arrows to land Newey too, and Red Bull’s Championship winning chances could end up diminishing.
“If Newey leaves Red Bull together with Max [Verstappen], there is a big doubt whether she (Red Bull) would just win the next world championship.”
Newey, one of F1’s most decorated engineers could end up joining any of the top teams. While Ferrari reportedly leads the race, Aston Martin is also said to be in the mix. However, Silverstone looks like an unlikely destination for the 65-year-old, who has his reasons behind choosing Maranello over it.
Should Verstappen also decide to leave, Red Bull will have a major hole to fill. While the Austrian team can still find a decent replacement to Newey in Pierre Wache, finding a driver like Verstappen will be much more difficult.
Christian Horner on Max Verstappen’s potential departure
After the Saudi Arabian GP earlier this year, Christian Horner admitted that if Verstappen chooses to leave, there isn’t much he could do to prevent it. A long-term contract isn’t enough for him to be committed to the team fully. And, he wasn’t going to force the Dutchman to stick around.
According to #AMuS, Max Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull includes a provision that allows him to leave the team if there are significant changes in the management structure.
Christian Horner apparently believes that Red Bull can win even without Max Verstappen, Adrian Newey,… pic.twitter.com/riv5QhYgPI
— F1 News (@octagram_f1) March 9, 2024
Despite his comments, Horner assured that his relationship with Verstappen remained good. The internal politics and turmoil didn’t affect their relationship per Horner, and it certainly didn’t negatively impact Red Bull’s performance on the track.
Nonetheless, uncertainty looms around Red Bull’s future. Should key members of the team leave, it could lead to them losing the edge over their competitors and allowing the playing field to become level again.
