“Max Verstappen wins again, but questions remain as power struggle continues at Red Bull.''

Max Verstappen claimed the latest in a series of calm and dignified wins at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday. However, things are far from calm behind the scenes at Red Bull.

There is no end in sight to Verstappen's winning streak. This is the ninth consecutive race dating back to last year's Japanese GP, and the 29th of the past 34 races since mid-2022.

However, this comes against the backdrop of ongoing controversy following allegations that a 50-year-old female employee acted inappropriately towards team principal Christian Horner. denies this.

Recent developments are evidence of a power struggle at Red Bull. Some say the dispute is between Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko. Verstappen and his father Jos are being dragged into what some say is a battle between a large Thai shareholder and a minority Austrian shareholder.

This revelation about Marko came a day after the female employee who reported Horner's behavior to Red Bull's human resources department was herself suspended.

Red Bull has always been a secretive organization that strictly controls the flow of information to the outside world. This applies to the parent company Red Bull GmbH in Fuchsl am See, Austria, as well as the Red Bull Racing F1 team.

Giving any insight into what's going on inside both companies is abhorrent.

As this off-track drama unfolds this weekend, some F1 insiders say Horner is only trying to secure his own survival within Red Bull with the backing of Thai owner Chalam Yuvidya. Instead, he claimed that he was trying to eliminate all rivals. His position as an unwavering authority within the team and perhaps beyond.

Horner said: “The rumors of a suspension were as much news to the team as they were to everyone else. We were very surprised to hear that.”

“Helmut is a contractor for Red Bull GmbH, so it is a matter between the two parties and we are not involved in that discussion. I have known Helmut since 1996 and he has been an important He's done his part. He's almost 81 years old. “He's still motivated for F1, which is a positive thing.”

“I have no problems with Helmut. He always says it frankly, but it's Helmut. I don't really understand where the rumors started. It's not something I had to do with,” he added.

Whoever challenges Marko's position, this is a high-risk match as Verstappen is more of a former F1 driver.

After qualifying, Verstappen was asked what he thought about the threats against Marko.

In contrast, he never left anyone in any doubt about his feelings for Marco.

“It's very important that he stays in the team,” Verstappen said. “If such an important pillar falls, it's not good for my situation either. So for me, Helmut must certainly remain.”

In other words, if Marko is let go, Verstappen can also walk, despite his contract running until 2028.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: “This is a decision that Max has to make and there is no team up or down the grid that wouldn't do a handstand to get him in the car.”

Again, Horner ignored any sense of conflict.

“Max is totally fine,” he said. “He works well within the team, there is no tension or stress. You can see how relaxed he is around the whole team and the garage, and that is reflected in his performance on track. .So we don't see any problems with Max. ”

After the race, Verstappen was asked again about Marko and his position within Red Bull. He said: “I've always said the most important thing is to work together as a team and everyone to keep the peace. And I think that's what we all agree on within the team. So hopefully from now on I hope that's the case as well.'' And you're absolutely right.

“Everyone is trying to focus in the same direction. And the good thing about all of this is that it didn't negatively affect our performance.”

This is the second power struggle between Mr Horner and Mr Marco in less than a year. Marko won his last match and earned a new contract with Red Bull. Now, after a meeting with Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, he is alive again. But that was after Verstappen made his feelings clear.

On Thursday, Horner attended an official press conference in Jeddah and said he believed it was time to “draw a line in the sand” on the controversy surrounding his actions.

“The reality is that a complaint was raised and dealt with in the most professional manner by a body that appointed the most reputable independent KC in the country,” he said.

“He took the time to look at all the facts. He considered everything and came to the conclusion that the complaint should be dismissed.

“As far as I'm concerned, as far as Red Bull is concerned, we move forward.”

However, not everyone agrees. Red Bull's current engine partner Honda has asked for full clarification on the allegations. That means Ford was affiliated with the team in 2026 before the charges against Horner were dismissed. Since then, the US auto giant has yet to comment.

And if you needed further proof of how pervasive this story has become, the opposition leader in the UK parliament has also supported Red Bull's idea of ​​transparency.

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer, himself a KC native and former director of public prosecutions, said: “Obviously I don't know the exact details of what happened, so I'm not in a position to comment on the details of the incident.” said. They need to solve this Red Bull incident.

“The independent investigation into the allegations against Mr. Horner has been completed and Red Bull can confirm that the complaints have been dismissed,” Red Bull said in a statement announcing the decision.

However, the reason was not mentioned. And for many outside Red Bull, there are still many unanswered questions that they refuse to answer.

Who did KC hire to compile the report? Who paid them? What did the report say? What was its scope? Was there a recommendation? How much attention did the board give to it when making the decision to dismiss the complaint?

Post hoc ergopropter hoc is an informal fallacy that states that one event was caused by another event because it followed it. Correlation may seem to suggest causation, but this may not be the case.

In the Horner case, the charges were dismissed after the board received KC's report. However, that does not necessarily mean that the report is important in that decision.

Those questions were reinforced when a cache of messages implicating Horner was leaked to the media and F1 executives a day after Red Bull dismissed the charges.

A week later, Verstappen's father Jos intervened again following news about Marko.

“I feel sorry for the woman, given everything she's been through, but we'll see what happens,” Verstappen told the Daily Mail at a rally in Belgium on Friday. Told.

As for drawing a line under the controversy, he said: “If that's what[Horner]wants, that's fine, but I don't think it's possible. It's too late for Christians to say, 'Leave me alone.' “Yes,” he said. With the support of the Thai owner, I think it will remain for the rest of the season.

“I said it would be bad if he stayed. It would be really bad for the team, it would be bad for this whole situation.

“But the most important thing to me is that Max is happy. That's what's important to me. I just want him to be happy.”

According to BBC Sport, Yuvidya met with Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen in Dubai between the Bahrain and Saudi races and made it clear that Horner would stay whether Verstappen's camp liked it or not. I made it.

Meanwhile, Austrian insiders say this is much more than an internal Red Bull Racing power play between Horner and Marko.

There, it is believed that this is about a struggle between Thailand and Austria for control of Red Bull, and Horner and Marko are just chess pieces. If so, Yoovidhya appears to be winning.

Meanwhile, there's clearly an elephant in the room. The woman who made the accusations against Mr. Horner has so far maintained her silence. How long will it last? If she speaks out, gets suspended and takes legal action, or both, how will that affect Red Bull and F1 as a sport?

Governing body the FIA ​​and commercial rights holder F1 have said little publicly about the Horner saga, leaving many executives in the sport outraged. If women raise their voices, it is unlikely that their stance will be maintained.

All of this is unlikely to derail the championship campaign given the superiority of Red Bull's car with Verstappen behind the wheel.

However, it is something that could eventually lead to the collapse of an F1 team.