Ralf Schumacher wouldn’t be surprised if the “unrest” at Red Bull drove Max Verstappen to join Mercedes, after all, who “would have thought” Lewis Hamilton would leave the Brackley squad?
Red Bull won the Bahrain Grand Prix with Verstappen leading home Sergio Perez in a 1-2 result, however, that was overshadowed by their team boss Horner’s troubles.
Could Max Verstappen leave Red Bull for Mercedes?
Dogged by allegations of inappropriate behaviour, for which it must be noted a lengthy investigation was later dismissed by Red Bull’s parent company Red Bull GmbH, Horner was back in the headlines on the Thursday of the Bahrain weekend when an email was leaked claiming to contain information relating to the investigation.
Since then, Jos Verstappen and Horner have been seen arguing on camera, and Max Verstappen’s father has gone so far as to openly demand Horner’s departure.
Although Red Bull insisted to PA that the squad is “united,” the discord persists. Rumor has it that Mercedes may try to pursue Verstappen to take Hamilton’s spot at Ferrari in the upcoming season.
Former Formula One driver Schumacher says he wouldn’t be shocked if it occurred.
To Sky Deutschland, he responded, “I wouldn’t say no.”
“There is unrest that has to be dealt with quickly. If there are currents and someone in the team loses motivation, things like that happen very quickly.
“Formula 1 is known for something like that – who would have thought a few months ago that Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes?”
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Ralf Schumacher: ‘Political murder’
Schumacher went on to call the Horner predicament and the compromised email “political murder,” saying, “I think that when you see how bad the mood is against him, he is untenable and should resign in the interests of the team.”
The German believes that during the ordeal, the team manager’s rapport with important Red Bull employees has suffered.
When Horner stood apart from Adrian Newey and Helmut Marko during the team’s celebrations in Bahrain, he said, “That speaks volumes.” Max Verstappen, who initially celebrated with Red Bull’s co-owner Chalerm Yoovidhya, wasn’t the first to give Horner an embrace.
Schumacher conceded, “[But] We can’t look into people’s minds.” “But it is imperative that the issue be made clear.”
However, contrary to Schumacher’s opinion that Verstappen could walk away from Red Bull, his father Jos has all but backed him to stay as he denied being the source of the email.
“Why would I do that? Max has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, is performing great and feels at home here. I have no interest in that at all,” he told De Telegraaf.
Even Toto Wolff doesn’t foresee the triple World Champion jumping ship as at the end of the day it’s Red Bull who have the best car on the grid.
“I think the driver will always choose the quickest car, that is fundamentally what it’s all about,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com.
“At the moment, Red Bull is the quickest car so that will, in my opinion, always be the priority.”
