MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 28: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, and Oracle Red Bull Racing and second placed Fernando Alonso of Spain, and Aston Martin F1 Team celebrate in the parc ferme during the F1 Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco on May 28, 2023 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Following recent news that Lewis Hamilton could join Ferrari, rumors of Max Verstappen moving to Mercedes are circulating in the paddock, amid controversy surrounding Christian Horner’s involvement in a “sexting” scandal that has engulfed Formula 1 and the Red Bull team over the past month.
Although Verstappen showed vulnerability in his performance at the Australian Grand Prix, specifically with his brakes, resulting in his first Did Not Finish (DNF) since Australia in 2022, this setback was inevitable. Now that karma has caught up with the three-time world champion, it is hard to doubt that Red Bull #1 will continue to dominate and secure another ten wins.
In essence, with the right driver, which Verstappen undoubtedly is, but his teammate Sergio Perez is not always, a driver of Verstappen’s caliber would also achieve success in the Red Bull RB20, another exceptional creation by Adrian Newey & Co.
According to Villeneuve, a suitable driver for Red Bull would be F1 veteran Fernando Alonso: “Would the team still win without Verstappen? Probably. But Max is winning because he has an exceptional car, and Red Bull is winning because they have an exceptional driver. However, he’s not the only exceptional driver out there. If you put Alonso in that car, he would also be a winner,” Villeneuve suggested in an interview for OLBG.
Regarding the Horner scandal, which began in mid-February during the RB20 launch and continues to simmer as the female accuser appeals against Red Bull’s decision that cleared Horner of any wrongdoing, Villeneuve raises an important question: “Who can say that Horner is not a significant asset? He has been an integral part of the team for a long time, with numerous championships on his resume. He consistently led the team to victory. The decision about drivers has always been Marko’s, but Horner was not running the team on a daily basis. Would the team be as successful without Horner? That is a tough question.”
Personal attacks on Horner may stem from the fact that he did not always see eye to eye with Jos Verstappen. In addition to some apparent racing history between them, another contributing factor may be the day Horner made it clear that Red Bull was not solely focused on being “Team Verstappen.”
Villeneuve adds: “Max is the embodiment of Red Bull, which makes him incredibly important to them. Red Bull is Max, and Max is Red Bull. The connection is incredibly strong. We witnessed a similar situation in the past with Sebastian Vettel. No one could imagine him driving for another team. It seemed strange. However, when it happened, people accepted it and moved on to win with someone else. Therefore, a team is always bigger than any individual driver,” insisted the 1997 F1 world champion.
Regarding the current dilemma at Red Bull that led Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff to openly desire Max’s services, Villeneuve suggested a different approach: “Horner should remain in his position and the vendetta should come to an end. Toto Wolff does not truly want Verstappen, he simply wants to annoy Red Bull.”
“The truly terrible part about this revenge is the people who are negatively affected by the consequences. Horner’s children, for example, when they go to school. No one took into consideration their well-being. The children’s friends read all this on social media.”
“Perhaps my perspective is influenced by the fact that I have six children, but I understand the impact this can have. However, it seems that because it does not directly involve F1, it is considered unimportant when in fact it is of great significance. Family members should not be subjected to collateral damage.”
“It is challenging when information leaks, but that is why everything should have been resolved privately. By doing so, innocent viewers, such as children, would not be harmed. People who have no connection should not be affected.”
As calls for Horner’s resignation grow louder, with Jos Verstappen’s voice being the loudest of all, the question arises: Should Horner resign as Red Bull’s TP?
“This is typical of what happens,” Villeneuve responded to the question. “However, he has not. And why should he? At some point, we may find out that he was completely right and some people will not be satisfied. Or we may find out that we were deceived and he is completely wrong. Currently, the situation has not been handled properly.”
“It is only because this is F1 and the sport is so massive that people are discussing this. It is total chaos. Even when we try to decipher the underlying message, it is impossible due to the overwhelming amount of information. Social media is uncontrollable in this sense.”
“Everyone has an opinion about what is right and wrong without really knowing the facts. This is extremely dangerous. Many judgments are being made, but how can someone make a judgment without knowing all the facts? People are being forced to form opinions based on mere fragments of information.”
“It is incredibly frustrating and dangerous when we do not have the full picture. This situation must come to an end soon, one way or another. We cannot allow it to drag on indefinitely,” insisted Villeneuve, winner of 11 Grand Prix races.
The 2025 F1 Silly Season started early, to be precise on February 1st, when the unexpected news that Hamilton was moving to Ferrari was officially announced. The situation was further complicated by Red Bull’s antics, as well as the fact that about half of the drivers on the grid will have their contracts expiring at the end of this year, including Perez from the other Red Bull team.
Two-time F1 world champion Alonso, who is 42 years old, is among the several drivers rumored to fill the seat if the Verstappens do the unthinkable and defect to Mercedes. If Max stays and Perez is deemed dispensable for Red Bull… could Alonso be in the Blue? Keep an eye on this space!
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