Horner takes unwanted centre stage spot and Newey's smile says it all

Red Bull Racing went out of their way during the car launch to pretend nothing is wrong. As if team boss and CEO Christian Horner was not under investigation. It didn't quite succeed. The car launch played the role of the underdog. One thing is clear after the car launch: the competition can pack everything up. Read the story of the car launch in Milton Keynes here.

Why Red Bull's campus is impressive

On the way to that hall, you walk through campus past Red Bull Racing's famous building with the car on the wall. An impressively long building and for a few years now with a new component attached: the Red Bull Powertrains-Ford factory. This is where the engine for 2026 is being prepared, but as it stands, that still sounds very far away.

Horner takes unwanted centre stage at car launch

The message of this story is not a new one: it is about the team and not individuals at Red Bull. The word 'inclusive' drops regularly. These are not strange words from Horner to describe his team. After all, he did the same in the High-Performance Podcast in 2021 and also in his first Beyond the Grid in 2018. Coincidentally or not, I had listened back to those two episodes just before this presentation.

These are familiar words, but the timing to repeat them does stand out. The discomfort then increases slightly in the room when the presenter asks Horner what the next 20 years of Red Bull look like: "What we've done in the last 20 has been nothing short of phenomenal. I think the next 20 is tremendously exciting, particularly with our own power units in the buildings next door, as we speak, coming to life. The future is very bright, and hopefully we can continue on the journey that we've enjoyed and has been so successful in the last 19 seasons."

Whether Horner himself is present in those coming years will largely depend on the investigation for alleged inappropriate behaviour, its outcome and the decision made by Red Bull and Red Bull Racing. In any case, the short-term future looks colourful, as evidenced by Adrian Newey's facial expression when talking about the competition. The smile says it all: Newey knows full well that the competition has not caught up with them for 2024 and that yet another world title can most likely be added to his record.

You can't immediately see it from the RB20 presented by Red Bull, but Red Bull Racing focused fully on 2024 early on in 2023. Without further development, they were still miles ahead of the competition by the end of 2024. If Newey and his team have found a step forward, the competition can pack everything up regarding the world title.

Verstappen looks relaxed at Red Bull Racing

"I have only driven with wet tyres, so that still makes it quite difficult to say anything," said Verstappen when asked about his first metres in the RB20. "You also drive on wet tyres which are not the real ones, so you really don't have much grip. For that, you have to go to Bahrain, and then we'll see."

In the press moment with the Dutch media, Verstappen was remarkably candid. After a holiday in which he was back on skis for the first time in five years, Verstappen addressed the press with fresh courage. The Dutchman does not seem bothered by all the commotion surrounding his team. Above all, he wants to race again.

After all, what motivates you after a year in which you won everything? "Having fun. Enjoying what you do. Of course you want to be successful and try to win as many races as possible again, but if the car is good that will come naturally," Verstappen said when asked by GPblog.com.

And what could be better compared to 2024? "I just want to drive a consistent season where I can get out of the car every weekend and think, 'That was another strong weekend'. Of course, I can't always be happy with everything in a weekend, but I try to keep it as strong as possible."

After the fresh-faced Verstappen, the contrast with his team boss is stark. Horner will have had interviews with television, British media and international media by then. Only that group of Dutch people remained. Despite all the comments from the PR team, the elephant in the room appears. Horner nevertheless responds to questions about the investigation, although he has to think about it. Horner is tired, and not surprisingly so. The F1 season has yet to start, but with everything going on in recent weeks, it will feel that the Briton has already finished a season.

In that respect, it is extra sour for Horner. Just when the team starts to reap the benefits of years of hard work to get back to the top, his position is under a magnifying glass. After a season in which all records were broken, it is not about the mighty RB19 that came about under his leadership, but really only about the investigation into possible inappropriate behaviour.