Schumacher ponders

Horner mess: Will Verstappen go to Mercedes?

Is Max Verstappen (right) seeking refuge at Mercedes because of Christian Horner?

(Bild: AP)

Suddenly everything seems uncertain - and nothing seems impossible. Will Max Verstappen even switch to Mercedes? According to Sky expert Ralf Schumacher, this could be a result of the mess surrounding Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. In any case, Toto Wolff answered the relevant question with "Anything is possible".

"The danger is quite simply that some parties now want to leave or look for new things." What does the Sky expert mean by that? "Ford was one of the first partners to say: 'We want transparency'." And in the end, there was only partial transparency, i.e. within Red Bull. In Bahrain, Schumacher observed during the podium ceremony that "everyone who used to stand together was suddenly standing separately". Schumacher therefore sees a de facto split in the Red Bull team. Horner has always been considered ideologically close to the Thai wing, while Dr. Helmut Marko embodies the Austrian side. "Jos Verstappen (Max's father, editor's note) was also somewhere," says Schumacher, "but also close to Dr. Helmut Marko."

"They are already in negotiations"
Discord in such a success-obsessed team is "a great pity", says Schumacher. For him, anything is suddenly possible. He had an interview with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff during the live coverage in Bahrain: "He explicitly said: 'Anything is possible'." Schumacher's conclusion: "For me, they (Verstappen and Mercedes, note) are already in negotiations. That would be plan B if everything falls apart."

You can watch the Schumacher interview in full length here.

The short version: Red Bull is faltering - even if there are no official investigations against Horner. The team is facing a crucial test and threatens to break apart. Also in such a way that a Verstappen switch to Mercedes seems realistic. 

Schumacher sees another danger for Red Bull: Adrian Newey could also leave. After all, he is "also a man of harmony who will not do this to himself in the long term." Schumacher's recommended way out: Horner should "resign in the interests of the team".