I think for Max and everyone at Red Bull they are in an impossible position. If they support Horner and he is found to have acted wrongly, then they have supported someone who has done wrong. And if they condemn him and he is found to have done nothing wrong their position in the team becomes untenable. It is no wonder team members are avoiding this as much as they can in public or the media.
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Max seems to have taken a very sensible and measured position.
"From my side, and I think what I can see also from the mechanics and the engineers, we are fully focused on the car and the performance here during the weekend,” he said. "And that’s how it should be, I think, and that’s what we continue to do, because it’s not our business. We’re not particularly involved in that.
He’s not a supreme court judge or barrack room lawyer or hifi enthusiast. He’s a racing car driver.
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But the digs appear to be going in via the back door.
Which I consider “bad form”.
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I agree, Max is avoiding it as much as possible, dodging the questions about Horner and the situation and answering by talking about focusing on the job at hand. Sensibly remaining neutral in a difficult situation.
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Maybe he needs to have a word with his dad!
From reading the BBC article it all smacks of a witch-hunt to oust Horner, the initial allegation dident hold up so now they’re trying different angles to create more controversy until such a time as the negative publicity will ultimately cause his demise.
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And now rumors about Verstappen going to Merc. The rumor mill is turning faster than an F1 engine at the moment…
History shows that usually when allegations similar to those made whether true to not, in the vast majority of times result in the person eventually resigning. So on one side, Horner is seemingly on borrowed time and rightly or wrong it would be best for Red Bull Racing from a PR aspect if he walked sooner rather than later. Whilst from a results basis, it would be best if he stayed and the team hunkered down and weathered the PR storm. As for the Max rumours, they are just that and it seems that Marko is stoking this, whether to distract from the Horner issue or to make Horners stay more untenable is open to speculation. Jos is just being Jos yet again and stirring things up, for unclear reasons and a possible result that seems not to benefit his son.
I am looking forward to next weekend and hoping Merc get their cooling issues sorted and Ferrari has both cars working correctly. Oh, and Williams finding 1 second a lap and cantering off into the lead whilst RB etc looks on in amazement. Sadly I suspect the headlines next Sunday, will be much the same as this week.
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Don’t underestimate the importance of Horner to RBR though, not only directly in terms of his management and stewardship of the team but the respect he commands among other players, notably Ford and their main sponsor Oracle.
While it’s clear that neither will be keen on the current shiz going on, equally they are there at least in a large part because of him and I imagine would be very unhappy if he was not around.
Equally, rumours persist that other personnel, including Max and Newey, have it written into their otherwise long term contracts that if Horner goes, they can leave too, which further fuels speculation about where the leaks came from…Especially if early gossip around RBR’s 2026 engine potentially being not all that have any grain of reality in them!
On the subject of gossip, I’m sure I read somewhere that if these leaked messages are genuine, they’re not recent and pretty much ancient history.
It’s like the Borgias have moved into Albert Square isn’t it?
Perhaps we can just get back to racing.
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I read the Sainz actually had identical issues (less severe?) but somehow managed to cope with them better than LeClerc did.
That would be good but one race in the portents aren’t good for 2024. Perez is nowhere near being a Webber comparable, with heated debates around ‘Multi-21’.
Yes quite a bit of hoohah going on at Red Bull. However, I really don’t like those nasty Verstappen’s especially the older one, quite a sh*t stirrer!
Let’s see how it all comes out in the wash!
Tim
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Jos has agreed to RBR’s ‘suggestion’ he should stay away for the next few race weekends.
Jos, with a straight face, has said that this was his intention all along for the coming weeks…
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This chap is simply unsuitable for the role. But quite indicative of the way the F1 circus is becoming a clown act.
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According to Gerhard Burger (via F1insider) both Max and Newey have exit clauses in their contracts triggered if Marko leaves or is fired.
It was widely rumoured last year that Horner tried to oust Marko in a power play after Mateschitz death. Hence (imo) Horner is now being thrown under the bus by Marko who will potentially leave if Horner stays leaving Max and Newey as free agents. Jos’ outburst suddenly makes sense as this risks blowing up the team where his son has had so much success.
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And now also for trying to get the Las Vegas race stopped by the safety licence being withheld.
Certainly faster than Alpine’s engine 
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It looks like the usual race for 2nd place again, at least we have MotoGP to look forward to in a few days!
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Are RB up to their normal antics again? They find Horner has done nothing wrong and now the team suspends the woman who made the allegation. This is reminiscent of RB sacking academy drivers for things they have said while ignoring Max’s offensive comments he has made a few times in previous years. Marko gets away with a word in his ear after his offensive comments. Different standards for different levels in the organisation?
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I am pretty disappointed by this, but sadly not very surprised.
However I think it goes perhaps a little far equating what Max said on track with this. Although I also do not agree with that.