A few days after the unquestionable success of Max Verstappen in Bahrain, the paddock of the Formula 1 returns to the track in Saudi Arabia, in the second Grand Prix of the season, with non-sports matters marking the news of the queen category of speed.
Behind the “Horner case” within the team Red Bull, He is now the president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who is in the eye of the storm.
According to the BBC, which cites a whistleblower, the Emirati leader would have asked his teams to find a way not to homologate the Las Vegas circuit, which held its first Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2023.
According to the same source, the BBC indicates that Ben Sulayem would have asked the stewards to annul a penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last season. These two accusations appear in a report addressed to the ethics committee of the FIA.
“The FIA confirms that the Compliance Officer has received a report detailing potential allegations involving certain members of its governing bodies,” they indicated.
This new case temporarily left in the background the internal war suffered by Red Bull, a team that in sports dominates the discipline with an iron fist, with 21 victories in the 22 races last season and a new demonstration of strength by Verstappen ahead. from his teammate Sergio Pérez, in the first weekend of the season last Saturday, in Bahrain.
The conflict at the team based in the British city of Milton Keynes broke out in early February. Despite being cleared after an internal investigation of allegations of “inappropriate behavior” toward an employee, Christian Horner, director of the Austrian team, continues to be questioned.
On Saturday, a few hours after his son’s triumph on the asphalt of Bahrain, Jos Verstappen added fuel to the fire by criticizing the team’s historic boss Red Bull.
“There is tension in the team as long as he remains in office. The team risks tearing itself apart. It cannot continue like this. It is going to explode,” the former Dutch Formula 1 driver told the sports supplement of the British newspaper Daily Mail on Saturday in Sakhir.
In this charged context, the paddock arrives in Jeddah, where Red Bull Despite everything, he will look for a new double.
While Jos Verstappen has already announced that he will not be in Saudi Arabia, his son Max already sounds like a Mercedes driver for next season.
Meanwhile, in the longest urban circuit of the season (6,174 km), ‘Mad’ Max Verstappen, who had to settle for second position behind his Mexican teammate last year, will remain the favorite.
“Last season the circuit was good for us so I hope we can achieve a similar performance,” declared the triple world champion. “It will be interesting to see the differences in performance between the teams on a completely different track than Bahrain.”
Ferrari, who achieved third and fourth position last weekend, will have high expectations on the Saudi track, where he will seek to continue with the good feelings.
“The first race of the season confirmed that we have moved in the right direction this winter. It is motivating to see that we have closed the gap in qualifying, even if we are still far from the pace of Max Verstappen in the race,” he explained Frederic Vasseur, the French skipper of the ‘Scuderia’.
“This week, the challenge will be completely different and we hope that the positive signs seen two weeks ago will be repeated,” he added.
The Mercedes and the McLaren, discreet in Bahrain, They should also enter the fight for the ‘Top 5’ fight, perhaps accompanied by the Aston Martin, who achieved great performance last season in Saudi Arabia.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
