In the wake of the drawn-out "sexting" scandal that has engulfed Red Bull, Johnny Herbert fears the World Champions will lose their superstar Max Verstappen and urges their beleaguered Formula 1 team principal Christian Horner to step down from the position he has held since 2005.
The sordid drama has cast a shadow on Formula 1 since it erupted on the day Red Bull revealed their thus far unbeatable RB20 for Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez. Since then Horner has weathered a massive power struggle for control of the racing team.
Horner has steadfastly denied wrongdoing despite allegedly attempting to silence his female teammate with shut-up money. And despite an internal Red Bull investigation which supposedly exonerated the team boss, the accuser is not accepting the decision.
The accuser is reportedly unhappy that she was not shown the full sex-text dossier before the internal inquiry reached its verdict and has launched an appeal.
In other words, as we said early on in this soap opera: "The turd that won't flush out of the RBR toilet" remains afloat despite all attempts to make it disappear
With this as a backdrop, even at the time of writing, it is not 100% sure Horner will be in Melbourne, while Mercedes is reportedly close to signing Verstappen away from Red Bull which could also be the catalyst for their prize-asset Adrian Newey also to depart.
Herbert: Not a good thing for F1 with the whole thing going on
During an interview with BetIdeas media team, Herbert shared his thoughts on the Horner-saga and what it is doing to the sport's image as well as Red Bull as a team: "It's not a good thing for F1 with the whole thing going on and the belated heat on it.
"It doesn't help the situation for Red Bull who have the best driver in the world at the present time. Against that, you have the stubbornness of Christian to try to stick it out. That process is ruining Red Bull.
"Horner was part of the team that built Red Bull. Now he is very close to being part of destroying it, which is a real shame. They're a very popular team around the world and Max is at the heart of it all. But it's the Christian Horner show. It should be all about the drivers on the track.
"It is not like that at the moment. There is a point where you have Red Bull say, What is best for us longer term?’ And that is not losing Max. It is deciding that the Christian Horner show has to come to an end," declared Herbert.
That "Horner Show" (starring Christian and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell) that Herbert referred to was unmissable by design, throughout the weekend in the Jeddah paddock.
The pair, a parody of marital unity flaunted by a defiant Horner, hand-in-hand with what appeared to be a dazed and confused, albeit willing and smiling Spice Girl in tow. Charade sprang to mind.
Johnny is not alone in calling for Horner to step down
No matter how you look it "Horner-out" big call for a British F1 pundit to be making. In recent years, F1 winner Herbert has been shunned by the mainstream Brit media such as BBC, Channel 4 and Sky perhaps for speaking his mind rather than towing the line.
But to independent media such as ours, Johnny remains very relevant as do his comments. Similar to the likes of Jacques Villeneuve, Tiff Needell, Mark Blundell and others we quote on this website. They are united in that they have no strings attached and are happy to speak from the heart.
Herbert is perhaps the first respected British F1 media commentator to dare suggest Horner's days are numbered at Red Bull in the manner above. But he is not alone as fellow Grand Prix winner Ralf Schumacher - in German media circles - echoed Johnny's sentiments.
Schumacher went as far as suggesting Horner was playing the victim-card to save his reputation and career, at the expense of the Red Bull F1 team.
Meanwhile, Round 3 of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, the Australian Grand Prix takes place this weekend at Albert Park in Melbourne. Stats show Red Bull have utterly dominated the first two rounds with Verstappen and Perez hunting a hat-trick of one-twos this weekend Down Under.
Herbert will be in the thick of things this weekend in Melbourne as one of four FIA-appointed F1 Race Stewards officiating the Grand Prix weekend.
Big Question: Should Horner step down as Red Bull F1 Team boss?
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