Are Brown and Wolff right? Is there a walkout at Red Bull Racing?

The unrest behind the scenes at Red Bull Racing has continued for a while. Since Dietrich Mateschitz's death, the Thai owner and Red Bull Austria have become diametrically opposed. Mateschitz, despite a 49% minority stake, had complete authority over sporting decisions. Since his death, Red Bull Austria, of which Mateschitz was the head, no longer has that authority.

That power now lies back with Chalerm Yoovidhya, who, with 51% of the shares, has all the say. Christian Horner has moved closer and closer to the Thai and now gets his full support. Red Bull Austria, whose figurehead is still Helmut Marko, has less to say, and that came out badly in the Horner case.

Why Newey wanted to leave Red Bull

While the Austrians, backed by camp Verstappen, wanted to get rid of Horner, the team boss simply stayed at his post. A case is still pending against the Briton, given that the woman who accused him of inappropriate behaviour has appealed against the outcome of the independent investigation launched by Red Bull.

This battle in the background has cost Red Bull Adrian Newey. The top designer will never say it like this, but his statements to Sky Sports spoke volumes. The top designer had started to doubt his future with the team over the winter, and that did not get any better during the beginning of this year, which was exactly the period when the case around Horner started to play out. So, while Horner claims that Newey's departure has nothing to do with the soap opera surrounding him, Newey himself says quite a different thing.

This is not surprising, either. Newey and his wife were also on good terms with the woman who brought the charges against Horner. So, possibly, the whole settlement of this also played a role in Newey's decision to leave.

There was also unrest in the aftermath. Newey sent a farewell message thanking all the important people within Red Bull. Marko's name is missing from it. One story is that Newey simply forgot that himself, while another states that camp Horner had Marko's name removed from the statement.

Does Verstappen still want to leave Red Bull?

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is also still being lured by other teams. The Dutchman is careful with his words and did not once express that he is 100% staying at Red Bull Racing. On the other hand, Mercedes are the alternatives and are not exactly having a year that would make you eager to make the switch. So, an extra year at Red Bull Racing is certainly not out of the question.

The key to Verstappen's departure lies with Helmut Marko. If Verstappen wants to leave Red Bull, Marko will quit. If the Austrian steps up, it will ensure that a clause in Verstappen's contract is triggered, allowing him to leave the team despite an ongoing contract until 2028.

There is also disagreement within Red Bull about that clause. One camp argues that this clause would have been in the contract from day one, while the other camp argues that it was only added later when the power struggle became increasingly clear behind the scenes.

Who is leaving at Red Bull?

Verstappen is not the only one possibly leaving the team. Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull Racing's sporting director, has an expiring contract and is looking at options at other teams. Wheatley was put forward as a potential replacement for Horner when he was under fire, and now that that is no longer in the pipeline, he would like to take his chance with another team. Alpine and Sauber/Audi seem the most logical candidates.

Yet, not everyone is leaving. Late last year, Ben Waterhouse (Head of Performance Engineering) and Enrico Balbo (Head of Aerodynamics) signed a new contract until 2028, followed by Pierre Waché in February this year. The technical director is also fixed until 2028, leaving the core of the technical team intact.

Brown and Wolff naturally like to shout that they receive a lot of CVs from Red Bull employees, but of course, the same is true the other way around. Brown and Wolff are now also calling this out mainly to destabilise Red Bull, and that's normal, according to Verstappen. What is a fact is that the unrest is far from over.

This article was written in collaboration with Matt Gretton.