Red Bull exodus fulfills Jos Verstappen’s worst fears

Jos Verstappen says the recent exodus of several high-profile members of Red Bull Racing is exactly what he feared what would happen at the start of the year.

The father of three-time world champion Max Verstappen predicted that the team would face instability, particularly under the continued leadership of Christian Horner. Now, with the confirmation of several key departures, the Dutchman believes his warnings have come true.

Verstappen Snr had raised the alarm last winter in the wake of the controversy surrounding Horner after the team principal was accused of inappropriate behavior by a female employee of Red Bull Racing.

The 52-year-old former F1 driver voiced his concerns at the time that Horner's continued presence at the helm of the Milton Keynes-based outfit could lead to a breakdown within the team.

"It can't go on the way it is. It will explode," he told Mail Sport . "There is tension here while he remains in position."

In the past weeks and months, Red Bull has lost legendary designer to Aston Martin, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to Audi-Sauber and most recently its long-standing chief strategist Will Courtenay to McLaren.

• Read also: Jos Verstappen slams FIA over Max's 'ridiculous' punishment

In light of these departures, Jos' words last winter now seem eerily prescient.

"Yes, this is what I warned about", Jos Verstappen told Motorsport.com at the East Belgian Rally last weekend.

"The team then says: 'Oh, it doesn't matter, we have someone else [who we can put on that position].'

"But it's too many people now [leaving]. And Max gets questions about it every time and so on. So yeah, I think it's just not good, what's happening at the moment."

Despite Horner's reassurances, Verstappen Snr believes the main team is downplaying the gravity of the situation.

"He [Horner] always glosses over it," he said, expressing skepticism about Horner's claims that Red Bull's depth of talent can compensate for the loss of such experienced personnel.

On the track, Red Bull's dominance has been waning in recent months. Although Max Verstappen won seven of the first ten races of the 2024 season, the team has hit a rough patch, going winless in the last eight races.

McLaren's resurgence has only added to the pressure, with the Woking-based team overtaking Red Bull at the top of the constructors' standings following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Max's once-comfortable lead in the drivers' championship has also shrunk to just 52 points after Lando Norris's dominant performance in Singapore.

For Jos Verstappen, these developments underscore the fragility of Red Bull's current position. With key figures leaving and on-track performance faltering, he fears the team is at a critical juncture.

Red Bull can regroup and find new momentum remains to be seen, but for now, Jos's early-season warnings about the potential cracks within the team appear to be coming to fruition.

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