Horner's Allegations Case Could Be 'Detrimental To Red Bull' In 2024 Warns Villeneuve

Wednesday, 28 February 2024 at 00:00

Red Bull is facing a very unique situation ahead of the 2024 F1 Season, and according to Jacques Villeneuve, it could prove "detrimental" to the team.

After a historic 2023 season, it seemed that nothing could stop the Austrian team from dominating also in 2024, and after they unveiled a very bold design for their RB20 car, it looked like the competition was left in the dust.

However, ahead of the new season, Red Bull seems to be facing a different issue, one, which is not related to their performance on the race track. Their team principal, Christian Horner, is facing serious allegations, regarding his "inappropriate behaviour."

He should find out his fate before the first Free Practice session on Thursday, but already the allegations have reportedly wreaked a lot of havoc in the team's garage, even though they were able to demonstrate their speed during the pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.

With the Bahrain Grand Prix approaching, the team will need to focus on the business, but that may be difficult if the resolution of the case proves to be negative for the British team principal.

According to Jacques Villeneuve, who talked to BetIdeas, according to GPBlog, the negative energy surrounding the team can cost them some tenths of a second of lap time and bad strategy calls, which may eventually cost them race wins.

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"When you have those sorts of issues and negative energy in a team so close to the start of the season, it can be very destructive. You need good energy around you to get that extra tenth (of a second) to confirm you have made the right calls on strategy. This issue with Horner could be very detrimental to Red Bull."

On top of that, Villeneuve reminds that it was Horner who was the key figure behind Red Bull's success, even though, there was always involvement of another key figure, Helmut Marko.

"He has been the architect of much of their success, but in the shadows there was always Helmut Marko. It was not clear who was always doing what. Marko was not working for the team."

"He was an independent contractor helping the big boss (Dietrich Mateschitz). Now without the big boss the balance has changed. It was very difficult to know the who, what and how."