Jacques Villeneuve spies negative Red Bull impact after Christian Horner 'defeat'

Jacques Villeneuve has no doubt that the internal power struggle waged inside Red Bull, which resulted in the eventual sacking of Christian Horner, proved to be very damaging for the team and Max Verstappen's future. It is now approaching a month since Red Bull's parent company stunned the motorsport world by axing Horner after his 20 years in charge, making its decision in the days following the British Grand Prix. No reason has been made public for Horner's removal from his duties as team principal and CEO, although Red Bull's decline in form is understood to play a role. Following its "unicorn year" in 2023, a phrase used by Horner to describe Red Bull's staggering domination in which the team won 21 of 22 grands prix, and Verstappen 19 of those, it has fallen away. Verstappen won seven of the first 10 grands prix of last year, and held on to secure a fourth consecutive drivers' championship, but Red Bull slipped behind McLaren and Ferrari in the constructors' standings. This year, it is fourth, and Verstappen has won just two races. In the background over that period, Horner was investigated - and twice cleared - after allegations of inappropriate behaviour were made against him by a female employee, sparking bitter enmity towards him by Verstappen's father, Jos. Although Horner appeared to ride the storm, in the background, key figures, including Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, both departed, seemingly weakening his position. Most recently, Verstappen confirmed he will remain with Red Bull for next season, albeit on the back of a clause in his contract failing to be triggered due to him being in the top three in the drivers' standings going into the upcoming F1 summer shutdown. Assessing whether Verstappen had made the right choice, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport , the 1997 F1 champion, said: "I think many have already raised this issue. "There was an internal struggle, and Helmut Marko and Jos Verstappen defeated Christian Horner, but all this has undoubtedly weakened the team. "Max will evaluate what to do next year, but leaving now would have been a risk that, in my opinion, was never really in the interests of the Verstappen clan."