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Translation:

NEXT ESCALATION IN THE RED-BULL WAR

Verstappen threatens if Marko is sacked

GP SAUDI ARABIA 2024

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is trying to get rid of Helmut Marko with the help of the Thai majority owners. In doing so, he is openly opposing Max Verstappen. The world champion demands loyalty to the man from Graz.

Michael Schmidt

08.03.2024

The Red Bull drama enters the next round. All attempts to get rid of team boss Christian Horner have been fended off thanks to the support of the Thai majority owners. An investigation by a law firm cleared him of allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female employee. But apart from Horner, nobody knows exactly what the acquittal says.

Written requests for a complete clarification from both the current engine supplier Honda and the future engine partner Ford bounce off Horner. He refers to the dismissal of the complaint and wants to let the affair blow over. Out of a feeling of strength, Horner now goes on the counter-attack and tries to get rid of the alleged saboteurs.

Red Bull sporting director Helmut Marko explained in Jeddah that the second world championship race of the year could possibly have been his last. Horner threatened the man from Graz with suspension. He allegedly used the fact that Marko blabbed about the letter from Honda on ORF as an excuse. Horner also seems to be accusing him of being behind the leaking of internal information about the employee's complaint. Which is rather unlikely, because Marko, as a lawyer, is certainly aware of the consequences of such an action.

The tablecloth between Horner and Marko seems to have been cut.

Horner wants to suspend Marko

With the help of his sponsor Chalerm Yoovidhya, who owns 51 per cent of Red Bull, Horner is in a position to get rid of his adversaries. Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff could also be targeted by the 50-year-old Englishman, who wants to become the sole head of all Red Bull motorsport activities with the connivance of Thailand.

Events came thick and fast on Friday. Marko responded to an imminent dismissal in front of the TV microphone with the words: "We need a clarification of the matter in order to prevent damage to the brand and the team. The important thing is that we must not do anything that could cost Max the title. But everything also has to be right for me to want to continue working in this environment. I'll have to discuss this with my line manager tomorrow." Oliver Mintzlaff, that is.

After a separation initially seemed certain, a door could perhaps open again. Possibly also because of the clear words of Max Verstappen. The world champion backed Marko in such a way that Horner must fear losing his superstar at the end of the year.

In Max Verstappen, Marko still has an important ally in the team.

Verstappen demands loyalty to Marko

Verstappen said at the press conference after his superior pole position in Jeddah: "I have great respect for Helmut. We have achieved a lot together. He and Didi Mateschitz have built up the team from day one. That's why everyone owes him a debt of loyalty. Including me."

The 26-year-old Dutchman went one step further: "I have said to everyone in the team that Helmut is a key figure in our team and that it is important that he stays. He was and is an important part of my decisions, also for the future. If such an important pillar were to leave us, it wouldn't be good for me or for the team, because in the end it's the overall performance of a team that counts. Helmut has to stay, there's no doubt about that. If he leaves, we'll have a problem."

That was more than just a warning to Horner. Translated, this statement could also be interpreted as follows: If Marko goes, I'm gone too. Where to go was already discussed at length in the run-up to the Saudi Arabian GP. Verstappen's first port of call would be Mercedes. Apparently, his contract gives him the opportunity to leave the team if the management structure at Red Bull changes significantly.

Christian Horner wants to take his chances. The team boss is also prepared to accept the possible departure of Max Verstappen.

Horner going it alone?

It is unclear whether Horner has understood the message. When asked, Marko said that the balls are flying back and forth at the moment and that we have to expect new updates every hour, but there are also voices in the team who claim that Horner is not looking to the left or right on his ego trip. One voice from the team: "He seriously believes that he can win without Verstappen, Newey and Ford because he thinks he is the architect of success."

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Says the the Compliance Department is "assessing these concerns ... "to ensure that due process is meticulously followed." #F1

Source: https://twitter.com/LukeSmithF1/status/1765085464653103401

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as opposed to the 12 slots officially available as per the current agreement…

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[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Love him or hate him this was really funny. Man doesn't give a single fuck

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

Track limits infringements if I remember correctly

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

It's unimaginable to think that Lando overtook Leclerc in the WDC considering how McLaren started the season

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Another 5s for Perez lmao

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Sainz might be out with a fuel leak according to Albert Fabrega

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

Hmmm. Since the whole reason for the post is the video in the post I think this should be fine for now

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think it just looks that way because Redbull hasn't figured out yet how to properly set the cars up after the new updates. Max was complaining about the car in the interviews but said that the upgrades are working.

I hope I'm wrong, but we'll see in the coming races

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Translation:

The comeback is perfect. The two sister teams Alpha Tauri and Red Bull officially confirmed on Tuesday (11.7.) that Daniel Ricciardo will be back in the Formula 1 circus in Budapest. The Australian was shown the door by McLaren at the end of last season. Now he is celebrating his comeback at Alpha Tauri. Nyck de Vries has to vacate his cockpit after just ten races in the premier class.

A tire test on Tuesday at Silverstone confirmed Red Bull's decision: "Daniel has lost none of his form in his absence. He was able to transfer the steps he made in the simulator to the race track. He impressed us on this outing," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner tells us. Alpha Tauri race director Franz Tost adds, "There's no doubt about his driving ability, and he already knows many of us, so his integration will be simple and straightforward."

De Vries and the rookie curse

It's the curse of the rookies. Modern Formula 1 doesn't give them any time. If you're new, you have to perform immediately. Otherwise the circus sweeps you off the track. In his ten races, de Vries didn't score a single championship point. He shares this fate with Logan Sargeant, the second of three rookies in the field. The only difference is that the U.S. driver is six years younger and did not come to Formula 1 as well-trained as the 2021 Formula E champion.

"Formula 1 is so complex that rookies should actually be given three years," Tost said as recently as the Austrian GP weekend in early July. Only one and a half days in the car before the start of the season. No testing during the season. Lots of street circuits. Six sprint weekends with only one hour of practice time. Highly complex engines. Tires with a mini working window. The changeability of the moody groundeffect cars. Plus a midfield where a tenth can make the difference between advancement or relegation in Q1.

"For a driver experiencing this so intensely for the first time, it makes the task incredibly difficult," Tost said at the time. "Sometimes it's 45 degrees on the asphalt in practice and only 35 in qualifying, which requires a completely different preparation for the front tires or the brakes. Nyck is making progress, but he needs time." The Austrian admitted in the same breath, "Of course we expected more from him."

Red card for De Vries

Actually - according to expectations before the season - de Vries was supposed to lead the racing team. He was supposed to maximize the package and guide the engineers on where improvements could be made from the driver's point of view. However, the Dutchman did not live up to this role. Instead, de Vries made too many mistakes. The series of accidents in Baku was the sad highlight of his season.

Bad luck for the 2019 Formula 2 champion: teammate Yuki Tsunoda has moulted in his third Formula 1 year. The Japanese is consistently faster. In qualifying, he was better placed in eight out of ten comparisons. In the hard-to-drive AT04, he still scored two world championship points. The weakening race car made life particularly difficult for de Vries. Alpha Tauri already turned his car to the left with upgrades. This hardly changed anything in the results.

In the end, it was not the outgoing team boss Franz Tost who decided de Vries' fate, but the management at Red Bull. And they are known for taking action when the performance does not meet expectations. As early as the sixth race in Miami, sports director Helmut Marko had spoken of a "yellow card" for de Vries. So now, just four races later, came the red card.

Ricciardo wants to return to Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo's management has been pushing for a comeback for weeks. The Australian was allowed to complete a tire test for Red Bull at Silverstone on Tuesday. It was the perfect opportunity to evaluate how good he even is after his more than mixed time at McLaren. "When he came back to us, we didn't recognize him," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said at the Austrian weekend.

"He has since found his mojo again. Daniel works hard in the simulator. He's provided valuable feedback there a couple of times," Horner said before the test. In the end, the impressions were apparently so good that the Red Bull management made the switch official immediately after the test laps were completed.

The question, however, is why Ricciardo agreed to the comeback at Alpha Tauri in the first place. With the AT04, even points are a complicated proposition. How should an eight-time GP winner motivate himself, who was said to lack drive at the end of his McLaren time anyway? The only logical explanation: Ricciardo could see it as a gateway to Red Bull. It won't have escaped his notice that Sergio Perez is weakening there. The Mexican recently failed to reach Q3 five times in a row.

Junior squad to be reduced in size

Every time Perez slips up, he is immediately called into question by the public. Yet he still has a contract up to and including the end of 2024. After the race in England, it was striking how much team boss Horner and sports director Marko backed him. "He rode some incredible maneuvers. His race to catch up to sixth place was really strong. If he can now get a grip on qualifying, he'll be back," Horner said.

Ricciardo's promotion is also a slap in the face for Liam Lawson. Red Bull has temporarily parked its up-and-coming driver in the Japanese Super Formula. According to Marko, Lawson has discarded the "hotheadedness" there that he was still guilty of in Formula 2. The New Zealander has won two of the five races so far. Alongside Ricciardo, he is the second substitute driver at Red Bull. Lawson has a Formula 1 superlicense. Now the junior driver has to go through another holding pattern.

Ayumu Iwasa, currently third in the Formula 2 championship, also had hopes of moving up to Formula 1. But promotion would still be too early for the Japanese driver. Recently, there were also rumors that Alex Palou could switch to the Red Bull camp. The Spaniard currently holds a commanding lead in the IndyCar championship. However, according to auto motor und sport, Red Bull's interest is limited.

More generally, Red Bull is rumored to be looking to reduce the size of its junior squad after the season - dramatically. It currently employs twelve junior drivers. There is talk of cutting back significantly for 2024. Red Bull only wants to invest in the really promising talents.

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

According to Erik van Haren, it's Ricciardo.

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

We went from somebody replacing de Vries next year, to him being replaced after the summer brake to this lmao. Dr. Marko doesn't play around

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

Here's an article in german: https://f1-insider.com/formel-1-ricciardo-de-vries-ersatz-57875/

Translation:

Max Verstappen's buddy Nyck de Vries can't get up to speed. His F1 days could already be numbered during the summer break.

He was considered the discovery of last season: Nyck de Vries came to AlphaTauri with much praise after finishing ninth in his spontaneous stint as Alexander Albon's Williams replacement in Monza in 2022. As a friend of world champion Max Verstappen, the Dutch Formula E world champion outperformed Liam Lawson and also Mick Schumacher, among others.

But the Dutchman has so far failed to live up to the high expectations. Twelfth place in Monaco is his best result to date. Most recently, at Silverstone, he was only 17th again. One thing is certain: De Vries is coming under increasing pressure at AlphaTauri.

One indication: On Tuesday, Red Bull's replacement driver Daniel Ricciardo - long considered a possible successor to Nyck de Vries - will complete tire tests. "And then we'll see," comments Helmut Marko on Sky. Asked about a possible comeback for the former Red Bull star, the Red Bull motorsport consultant just grins: "We'll look at the tire tests and then we can talk."

What Marko doesn't want to openly admit is that behind the scenes, planning is said to be much further along. F1-Insider.com learned: Ricciardo is to replace De Vries after the summer break. In the second half of the season, the focus will then be on comparing Red Bull junior Yuki Tsunoda with Ricciardo, the former Vettel conqueror.

Sky pundit Ralf Schumacher also believes: "The decision has been made, I'm pretty sure of that." The former GP winner continues: "He (de Vries; ed.) had his highlight last year in Monza and was in the right place at the right time. It's a shame for him that he probably won't be able to drive Zandvoort - I'd guess - but also good for Daniel Ricciardo and for the team.AlphaTauri is really bad on the road and could use some experience."Statements made by Helmut Marko to F1 Insider already on the sidelines of the Austrian GP fit in with this.That's when the man from Graz reacted happily to Ricciardo's positive development."We didn't recognize him when he came back to us from McLaren," Marko said."But we have nurtured him back and in the simulator he is now doing a good job."Indirectly, De Vries' retirement could also have consequences for Sergio Perez.Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull keeps falling far behind in the duel with the double world champion, even missing out on the second qualifying section at Silverstone.

"His place is not in danger," Marko repeats prayerfully again after the Mexican's drive from 15th to sixth place in England. But at the same time he stresses, "A replacement does not impose itself."

It's quite possible that he will see things differently at the end of the year...

[-] bwoah@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

What a flex to do the last pit for the fastest lap

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