Verstappens worried after Newey departure: 'I was afraid of that'

Max Verstappen said it earlier this year: key players must be retained for Red Bull Racing. If not, a departure to rival Mercedes may not be out of the question. With Adrian Newey's departure, the first key figure is closing the Red Bull door behind him, and father Jos Verstappen has some concerns.

For Verstappen (and Red Bull), calmness must be restored in the garage. Weeks fly by, but things are not exactly getting calmer. In recent weeks, it was leaked that Newey had very recently tied the knot to be made for a new adventure and a few days the press release came out.

"The team is in danger of falling apart," Jos Verstappen observes, speaking to De Telegraaf. "I was afraid of that earlier this year. For internal peace, key people must stay on board. That is not the case now. Newey is leaving and earlier this year it also looked like Helmut would be sent away. For the future, that is not good."

Marko suspension averted

At the beginning of March, it looked like Helmut Marko would be suspended by Red Bull GmbH. The 80-year-old consultant was alleged to possibly be behind the leak surrounding the investigation into Horner's cross-border behaviour. Marko denied being guilty of this, and eventually, a suspension was narrowly averted.

Max, meanwhile, at the time - not for the first time, incidentally - linked his fate to Marko's. "I don't see the option of him leaving," the three-time world champion said at the time. "I have always made it clear that he has to stay with it. I cannot continue without him. Everyone has to stay in his role as it has always been, especially after the death of Dietrich Mateschitz. Everyone has their own tasks and I have indicated that this should remain so for the future, as long as Helmut lives."