The Christian Horner "sex texts" scandal won't go away for Red Bull, fuelling speculation Max Verstappen will ditch the Formula 1 World Champions and move to Mercedes next year, but Helmut Marko says "We're not going" for now...
So complex is the scandal, with no end in sight, that despite having the best car and team in F1 by a country mile - as Verstappen and Sergio Perez powering to one-twos in Bahrain and Saudi proved - the Dutch superstar might ditch them for struggling Mercedes.
After a crazy weekend of Red Bull shenanigans, no one apart from himself is sure Verstappen won't pack his bags and take his crew over to Mercedes in 2025 alongside George Russell, plugging the hole left by Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
In an internal civil war within the Red Bull-pen, Horner is central to the plot that has him still fighting for his career and reputation. The latest salvo in that 'turd that won't flush' saga continues to be stubborn, as news emerged the suspended aggrieved RBR female team member is appealing the outcome. In other words, this one is still the organisation's 'turd' that is not flushing.
In a show of defiance (and strength?) Horner and wife Geri Halliwell oozed love and harmony whenever a photo opportunity arose for the pair in Jeddah. Admirable considering the circumstances. Whatever that show was meant to... show, will it survive the appeal? What if the RBR employee wins it?
Is it really business as usual at Red Bull?
Inevitably the rumour mill fired up to full capacity in the wake of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, another race the Red Bulls dominated with ease as they did a week earlier in Bahrain and are likely to do so until fate intervenes.
Among increasingly unbelievable reports on the matter, the latest episodes of published hearsay is that Horner and Marko will get the sack from Red Bull and of course, did the rounds on the social media sewers on the web where lifeless plebs hangout and spew ridiculous conspiracies.
Nevertheless, after a Red Bull shareholders meeting in Dubai, no change in team leadership or personnel emerged, and on behalf of Horner a team spokesperson suggests all is well in RBR Camelot: "As Christian has said, he is grateful for the full support of the shareholders and that remains the case."
Likewise, according to himself, Marko is going nowhere it seems. However he did little to diffuse the tense situation at Red Bull right now, commenting on reports of his own demise, the Austrian told De Telegraaf: "I hope it'll all be over as soon as possible."
Marko: I was really thankful for how loyal Max was
"I was thinking about leaving at the end of last year, but we should remember Dietrich's legacy. What his ideas were and where they took us, we owe that to him," declared Marko of Dietrich Mateschitz, who had the vision and money to build the Red Bull Formula 1 empire into what it is today.
As for Red Bull's plan and his future, Marko revealed: "We decided that these rumours were spread and had no legal background. I will not be suspended. Our goal is to win the world championship. For that, we will have to work hard.
"I was really thankful for how loyal Max was. I was impressed. We're not going to Mercedes together at the moment," added Marko. Cheeky Doctor! This could mean 'they' (aka He and Max) might well do so when the right "moment" arises.
And of course, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is happy to do "handstands" to accommodate Max Verstappen. Does that also mean "handstands" for Team Verstappen aka Marko plus Jos 'The Boss' Verstappen and entourage? Because it appears when Max goes so do the other two and co. for now...
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