Christian Horner is reportedly expected to discover his Red Bull fate imminently, with Sky Sports claiming that an announcement could be made either today or tomorrow.
An external investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour is thought to have been completed after weeks of uncertainty and no shortage of speculation.
The saga has cast a dark cloud over Red Bull ahead of the new season, with the competitive action set to get underway in just four days at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Unusually, the first two races of the campaign will be held on Saturday rather than Sunday due to Ramadan, the Islamic holy month which starts on March 10.
Saudi Arabia’s second round was scheduled for that weekend and has been moved forward by a day as a result. Competition rules dictate there must be a full seven days between each Grand Prix, which means the opening round in Bahrain must also take place on a Saturday.
RB CEO Peter Bayer has admitted that his team’s new name, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula 1 Team, is ‘a bit of a mouthful’.
His team’s relationship with Red Bull has continued to grow in recent times, and a decision has since been made to indicate the relationship with a name change.
But Bayer has admitted that the new title does not exactly roll off of the tongue, saying: “we’ve been discussing, you know, the different options but we just felt that already as people, you know, as I said myself before, it’s a bit of a mouthful.
“If you imagine the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula 1 Team, you’ll be tired at the end of writing the article. So that was really where the idea came from to abbreviate Racing Bulls into RB. And to put that as a chassis name that, you know, simply remains as a sort of, you know, that historic element that we want to carry forward if partners were to change.”
Lance Stroll has said that he will ‘do his talking on the track’ after questions were raised about his ability behind the wheel.
The 25-year-old endured a tough 2023, earning 74 points to finish 10th in the championship, but is hopeful that he will be able to prove his doubters wrong this year.
He told the Aston Martin official site: “Everyone has their opinion, but I do my talking on the track. I’ve had an incredible journey with my father in motorsport. From go-karting days, through the junior formulas and today in Formula 1, what we’ve accomplished together has been amazing.
“His vision and passion for the sport, for Aston Martin, is really incredible; it’s super-exciting to be a part of it and to see how much we’ve already grown as a team over the last four years. And the future is even more exciting.”
Max Verstappen has hit out claims that Red Bull’s RB20 may be too radical of a change.
The 26-year-old has insisted that he has ‘full trust’ in his team and the work that has gone on behind the scenes to build the car.
He explained: “I trust the team, to be honest, that they have made the right decisions in terms of choosing the right of the car. I saw how it was drawn last year, but I don’t care how it looks, as long as it is fast and when I saw it for the first time, fully built, [it doesn’t matter] whatever shape it has.
“I would sit in the car and once you drive out [of the pit-lane], you feel quite quickly if it feels quite normal and unfortunately, our filming day was wet so you don’t really know anything. But as soon as I jumped in, it felt pretty normal. It looks a bit different, but it is the direction that the team chose and I believe it’s the best direction to go into for the season.”
