'See where the wind takes me': What Red Bull F1 soap opera means ...

Like Icarus, Red Bull has been the master of its own downfall in 2024 with the high-flying F1 outfit ripped from the sky by its own soap opera.

The downfall may not be in terms of points and race wins – it remains untouchable on-track.

But off it, Red Bull is anything but, suffering numerous blows with the Christian Horner saga refusing to die, while sparking a spin-off series with Max Verstappen the star.

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Horner has this year been mired in controversy through allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague.

A major domino effect has been the destabilisation of Red Bull’s star asset, Verstappen, who has been linked to a premature exit from his contract that expires in 2028.

Separately, the future of both Horner and Verstappen dominate the headlines in F1, now in its third race of the season in Melbourne.

After three-straight drivers’ championships, and a fourth surely to come, the attention had to turn somewhere.

Now, Red Bull has turned the spotlight on itself, promising a rocky final chapter to this era of brutal F1 dominance.

And so the question goes; is this really where Daniel Ricciardo sees a fairytale end to his Formula One career?

Ricciardo has made it no secret that he intends to wind up back in a Red Bull cockpit, having left in 2018 when the team was in Mercedes’ dust.

Hindsight tells us it was the wrong move. Ricciardo has accepted that, but hopes a final twist in his career could make up for time lost.

Red Bull needed convincing, but liked the idea enough to give Ricciardo a reserve driver role when he was axed by McLaren. The team then secured him a full-time drive with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.

Many pieces must now fall into place for Ricciardo to get his dream seat back: He needs to drive well, better than teammate Yuki Tsunoda, Sergio Perez needs to flop, and the Red Bull hierarchy must remain interested, while ignoring any other late suitors.

This, however, is based on today’s Red Bull landscape.

Tomorrow’s could be different.

The key Red Bull players who Ricciardo garnered support from aren’t certain about their own futures, let alone the Australian’s.

Chief among them is Horner, who clings to his job as team principal while awaiting the result of an appeal lodged by his accuser.

Horner was cleared by an independent investigation, findings from which were kept under wraps until a mass leak of alleged texts from Horner were spread to the media.

Red Bull has stood by him, while the employee has been suspended on full pay.

What comes next is shrouded in mystery with the waiting game dragging the controversy deep into the season.

Ricciardo insists he’s not distracted, saying his focus remains on his job at VCARB.

The potential for his own plans to be impacted by key personnel leaving Red Bull was put to Ricciardo during Thursday’s driver’s press conference, but he refused to speculate.

“I think when the sport for me was kind of nearly taken away… a year ago there was no guarantee I would be back here,” he said. “That kind of long vision or long-term way of thinking is just not where I’m at.

“So right now it’s really focused on where I am. We’ve got a big task ahead. Try to do what I can there.

“Try to kick some butt and then see where the wind takes me.”

Nonetheless, even the most single-minded driver would surely struggle to completely ignore the chaos next door.

Ricciardo has said he feels for Horner, who he shares a good relationship with, but you could forgive the 34-year-old for also wondering what it might all mean for him.

A return might need the backing of Horner, who was massively influential in bringing Ricciardo back to Milton Keynes on a reserve driver contract.

While Horner was initially critical of Ricciardo over his 2018 departure – famously saying he was “running from a fight” with Verstappen - the pair have remained on good terms.

It paid dividends for the Australian when he needed a career lifeline. Ongoing support from Horner would be another massive boost to Ricciardo as he fights for his “full circle” moment at Red Bull.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS

The other major factor is the team’s motorsport supremo, Helmut Marko.

It’s unclear exactly where Marko stands on Ricciardo now. The Australian came through Red Bull’s junior ranks under his eye to succeed Sebastian Vettel, only to be later perturbed by the team’s – and Marko’s - pivot towards Verstappen.

The tone inside Red Bull swiftly changed with the emergence of the Dutchman, whose precocious talent as a teenager appealed to a global brand always eager to push boundaries.

Marko remains a massive fan of Verstappen to this day, recently saying that driving alongside him at Red Bull is like sitting in an “ejector seat”.

“No teammate can hold a candle to Max and it can quickly become demoralising,” Marko said.

Marko has also put Ricciardo on the clock by saying he needs to “come up with something soon” after a slow start to 2024.

Nonetheless, it stands to reason that Marko would be open to Ricciardo returning if he was able to display the form that impressed him at Red Bull in the first place.

Which is why speculation of Marko leaving, too, might also be an issue for Ricciardo’s masterplan.

Marko is yet another Red Bull stalwart who has been linked with an exit this year as a result of the Horner saga.

According to reports, Marko was under investigation by Red Bull for leaks to the media since the investigation into Horner’s conduct began.

Marko revealed he was at risk of being suspended – and the news sent another tremor that shook Red Bull’s foundations once more.

Off the back of Marko’s reveal, there was another with reports that Verstappen can walk away from his Red Bull contract if the senior adviser was to depart.

Verstappen has since stressed his desire to keep “the key players” at Red Bull for the duration of his contract.

“I’m happy within the team and it’s very important we try to keep the key players in the team for a long period of time,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Verstappen added that he “intended” to see out his Red Bull deal, but still refused to rule out a move to rivals Mercedes.

Asked if he would ever join the Silver Arrows, Verstappen said: “Um, what year?

“I don’t know. I don’t know what happens after 2028. I don’t know if I’m going to stay in F1 or sign a new deal. I don’t know that yet.”

Yet another answer to make his employer sweat.

The temperature at Red Bull has at least lowered slightly since Verstappen’s father, Jos, made explosive comments in the Daily Mail that called for Horner to leave.

“There is tension here while he remains in position,” Verstappen told the publication.

“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”

More recently, Jos Verstappen called for “calm”, but admitted there is a “power struggle” at Red Bull.

“We’ll see, I can’t say too much about it. I hope peace returns soon and they start concentrating on racing because that’s what it’s all about. But this is not good,” he’s quoted as saying in Sporza.

Either way, it’s clear that the Verstappens and Marko wield an immense level of power within the Red Bull motorhome.

Winning races can help you overlook many things, but Ricciardo will need to think long and hard about what it’s worth, and whether it’s an environment he wants to wind his F1 career down in.

For now, Red Bull’s handling of the saga remains a point of deep controversy.

It also represents an opportunity for rivals. Verstappen likely wouldn’t have answered a call from Mercedes’ Toto Wolff last year, but now the pair have been linked.

Meanwhile, there has also been speculation of a Ferrari raid on key Red Bull figures, potentially including legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey.

Red Bull continues to win in any event. Barring any disaster, the team likely will again this weekend at Albert Park.

But as the rumblings survive another week, it’s clear the old sports cliché of ‘winning fixes everything’ has finally met its match.