Jos Verstappen has recounted that the impending senior departures at Red Bull’s Formula 1 team are something that he “warned about” occurring earlier this season.
Last week, McLaren announced the news that it has signed Red Bull’s long-serving Head of Race Strategy Will Courtenay to become the team’s new Sporting Director.
Courtenay will not be alone when he completes his planned exit as numerous other notable figures behind Red Bull’s success have also elected to seek pastures new.
The exodus started earlier this term when design guru Adrian Newey, who will become Aston Martin’s Managing Technical Partner, communicated his desire to leave.
Meanwhile, experienced Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, who has been at Red Bull since 2006, will depart to become Sauber/Audi’s new Team Principal in 2025.
Verstappen Sr has contended that such exits vindicate his concerns from pre-season that Christian Horner’s ongoing presence at the helm could “tear apart” the side.
The Dutchman adopted that stance amid an internal probe into allegations of inappropriate conduct against Horner, who has been cleared and an appeal was upheld.
“This is what I warned about,” Verstappen Sr told Autosport at the East Belgian Rally last weekend when asked to give his view on the recent development.
“The team then says: ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter, we have someone else [who we can put on that position].’ But it’s too many people now [who decide to leave].
“Max gets questions about it every time and so on. So yeah, I think it’s just not good, what’s happening at the moment.”
Verstappen Sr takes aim at Horner again
Horner has remained adamant throughout that the reigning champions retain enough internal strength in depth to not be impacted when individuals elect to move on.
However, Verstappen Sr is unconvinced about Red Bull dampening the narrative around several names choosing to leave, arguing that Horner “always glosses over it”.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko divulged that well-renowned Principal Strategy Engineer Hannah Schmitz will be in line to step up to Courtenay’s role when he departs.
However, the Austrian, who is close to the Verstappen entourage, conceded that losing the three-time F1 champion is something that Red Bull must avoid at all costs.
“It is clear, together we have to make sure that the World Championship can be won this year and we also build a fast car for next year,” he told Motorsport-Total.
“But the most important thing is that we can keep Max Verstappen.”
READ MORE: Jos Verstappen tells Christian Horner to ‘cut the c***’ on Red Bull’s Singapore F1 turnaround
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