Max Verstappen shines amid Red Bull turmoil and Christian Horner's uncertain future
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen celebrates after securing pole position during the qualifying session for the Miami Grand Prix. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
The age old adage that 'where there's smoke, there's fire' comes to mind when rumours of Christian Horner's exit from Red Bull came to light.
It could just be that an opposition team started a rumour to throw them off their game this season or that Red Bull's management in Austria are actually considering replacing the Englishman.
If you had to plot Red Bull's performance since the last season, it would look like a downward trend with spikes of individual brilliance from Horner's golden boy Max Verstappen.
But overall, the team has lost that edge it had in the 2022 and 2023 season, during which they dominated the sport.
Not without reason, an integral part of Red Bull's outfit was stripped away when car designer Adrian Newey left them for Aston Martin.
Newey's influence in Red Bull's dominant years could not be seen on the track as Verstappen was the one behind the wheel, but without him, the team have struggled since the start of the 2025 season.
Signs of relief emerged at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, however, when Verstappen single handedly took apart the 'untouchable' McLarens with yet another bold overtake at Turn 1.
It was a narrow track though, with few opportunities to overtake other than Turn 1, even if you're as gutsy as Oscar Piastri.
Excuses aside, Verstappen's drive at Imola silenced any critics that they were unable to compete with McLaren this season.
That is for the Driver championship at least, as they stand little to no chance for the Constructors title this year.
Despite the win at Imola, reports from the F1 world indicate that Horner may lose the support of the Thai contingent within Red Bull if the upgrades they made at Imola do not prove successful for the remainder of the season.
To say that Horner is under an immense deal of pressure to deliver right now, would be an understatement.
What makes it worse is that Red Bull unfortunately have two drivers who have delivered points this year, and their from two separate teams.
Isack Hadjar of the Racing Bulls has been the only other reliable driver this year, with Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson having a difficult season so far.
Verstappen's class, skill and determination has given the Milton Keynes outfit some much needed breathing room with his wins at Imola and Suzuka.
He's also shunned any rumours that Horner's head is on the chopping block.
"Of course, I think naturally, as a team, we are not entirely happy with how we are performing, but we're also working on trying to be more competitive.
"But if you ask everyone this question, I think no one is happy or satisfied with their performance, you always want to be better, you want to perform more. That's what we're trying to do. So, for me, these rumours don't mean anything,' Verstappen said.
Pressure to deliver a fast car
After the first quarter of the season, it was evident that McLaren were leaps and bounds of everyone else in the paddock - leaving Horner with little time to act decisively and make adjustments to the RB21.
They started with small changes underneath the car, then adjusted the front and rear suspension in Miami.
They've also redesigned the floor of the RB21 with more weight, which could improve the overall balance.
Red Bull Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan said the changes will be incremental, but conceded that trying to come up with a cure for the RB21 may never fully rid it of the problems.
'It's going to be incremental improvements on the car. We understand what's happened, but actually affecting a cure is not that straightforward. It may never disappear from the car.
'Can we reduce the magnitude, and improve the lap time? Yes, there are a lot of clever people in Milton Keynes at work or are working hard to improve, and it will come,' Monaghan told an Italian F1 publication.
Verstappen has managed to secure pole positions this season and with the Monaco Grand Prix up next, the importance of pole position could not be overstated.
Both McLaren drivers, thankfully for Verstappen, don't have any real history of success there as yet, but Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc do.
And with the Prancing Horse making some headway during the Imola race, a fight for pole with Ferrari may be on the cards for Verstappen.
We can only wait and see what Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris has to offer.
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