Despite the near unprecedented
winning streak that Red Bull find themselves enjoying rumours persist of an
internal power struggle.
First, and most persistently, is the
rumour that Checo Perez remains on the perennial bubble of being retained or
fired for the 2024 season. But after a stronger showing in Texas and after a
clear tilting of the world’s axis Helmut Marko offered some rare praise for
Perez’s speed during the race. Stranger things have happened apparently.
Still, the chat about Perez’s future
at Red Bull continue to be fueled by pundits and online conspiracy theorists on
a daily basis. Some reckon he’ll announce a shock retirement in Mexico while
others think Ricciardo will swoop in and reclaim the Red Bull seat that he
willingly relinquished all the way back in 2018. But it’s more likely that
Perez will stay put, at least for 2024.
But what is F1 without several dozen
conspiracy theories making the rounds? At Red Bull the ‘word’ is that team boss
Christian Horner is angling to have Helmut Marko removed from the team.
It
isn’t a far-fetched theory though.
Do remember that Dr. Marko is a notoriously
un-media friendly bloke who regularly spouts some rather extreme viewpoints and
opinions. For this reason, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if Horner is
trying to cut Marko’s proverbial strings to the Red Bull team.
But. Rumours of disharmony in the
team have, apparently, been greatly exaggerated. Three-time champ Max
Verstappen has been deployed by the Red Bull media department to cry foul on
this particular rumour, even going so far as to call it B.S.
It is interesting though that in a
sport often dominated by rumours, speculation, and conjecture that Red Bull
chose to respond to this ‘headline’ if it is in fact a nothing burger.
Perhaps
there is some discontent after all within the team.
