Hakkinen: Red Bull uncertainty will help their F1 rivals

The World Champion's brutish father - Jos Verstappen - linked to the shenanigans with a 'smoking gun' attack on Horner captured more headlines than Max's sensational Bahrain Grand Prix victory, setting the stage for what could be an even more dominant year than 2023 for him.

The Red Bull one-two was a show of strength at a time when their team boss Horner faced the greatest test of his life, fighting to save his career let alone his position as Red Bull team principal. A post he has held since the team's inception back in 2005.

Despite this, since Dietrich Mateschitz's passing, a power struggle has erupted within the energy drinks organisation for control of the team with Horner and his supporters on one side, versus a new Red Bull mob with (convicted skull breaker, wife- and girlfriend-beater aka not a nice guy) Jos Verstappen in their corner.

Amid the craziness at the Red Bull team, in his Unibet column, Hakkinen wrote: “The longer that Red Bull faces uncertainty, the more this will help their rivals. Off track, things are less clear and that has the potential to disrupt Red Bull Racing’s season."

"It is not for me to go into the stories surrounding Christian Horner and the politics within the wider Red Bull organization. No one outside of the team really understands what is happening, it’s a private matter which the public and media are watching carefully," ventured Hakkinen.

The unfortunate events coincide with Red Bull's incredible start to the season. Verstappen left his rivals in the Bahrain dust, masterfully winning by over 20 seconds from P2 Sergio Perez, a one-two for Horner's team.

The result at Sakhir last Saturday, a repeat of last year with an ominous caveat, the Red Bull RB20 penned by Adrian Newey and his team may be even better than its predecessor that only lost one race last year.

Despite flying out of the box again this year, Red Bull leaving all nine rival F1 teams with mountains of urgent work to be done to reel in the two Blue cars, Hakkinen is wary.

The 55-year-old Flying Finn ventured: "Stability and harmony are essential in any team wanting to keep its position at the top of Formula 1. You need good, strong leadership and fantastic teamwork, everyone pulling together, solving problems, beating the competition.

"The moment the leadership, drivers or team becomes distracted, the focus becomes more difficult to sustain. The longer that Red Bull Racing faces uncertainty, the more this will help the competition. Formula 1 is not only a sport of high technology, it’s also about people and how they work together.

"At McLaren, I had great support from my team, and in return, I gave the team 100% of my commitment to win the World Championship. Winning demands focus and harmony," explained Hakkinen, a 20-time Grand Prix winner.