"There are no longer any clear statements": Red Bull's former ally rings alarm bells over the team's current state

Former Red Bull ally and Toro Rosso leader Gerhard Berger has flagged the team's current state, saying that there is a lack of clarity in the team's approach. The Austrian team joined the grid in 2005 and won its first title in 2010, with its inner workings ensuring a level of clarity that other teams on the grid arguably lacked.

Christian Horner led the team with Helmut Marko by his side, along with Adrian Newey managing the technical side of things. This was one of the reasons why Red Bull bounced back in 2021 to win a title again after being hamstrung by uncompetitive power units.

However, the 2024 F1 season was an eye-opener because, for the first time in two decades, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko were reportedly involved in a political battle that had repercussions as multiple key members have now left the squad.

In an interview with AMuS this week, former Toro Rosso boss Gerhard Berger raised alarms about the state of the team. Singling out how Sergio Perez as a driver was handled, Berger said that there's a lack of clarity that the team hasn't had in the past.

"It is often the beginning of the end when such topics are raised. Formula 1 is so complex and so competitive that you can only be successful if everyone in the team pulls together, if everyone agrees and communicates well with each other. The Red Bull brand has always radiated happiness and a cool image. Suddenly everything changed. Completely untypical for the team, there are no longer any clear statements. Let's take Perez as an example."

Mentioning the manner in which the Mexican's contract extension left many in the F1 community baffled, Berger added:

"Nobody in the professional world understood that he (Perez) was still being given a contract again. There may have been reasons such as marketing constraints or the contractual situation. But when things didn't get any better after that, they gave him three more races and then two more and avoided making a decision. I couldn't see a clear line there. In Mateschitz's times, Red Bull was always famous for clarity."

During the same conversation with AMuS, Berger also speculated on the possibility of Max Verstappen leaving the team should the upcoming season not pan out as planned.

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Red Bull could potentially lose Max Verstappen if it doesn't improve, according to Gerhard Berger

Gerhard Berger pointed out that while Red Bull itself was going through a transition, it would need to bounce back fast because while Max Verstappen won the title in 2024, it wasn't an easy task. If the Austrian team doesn't perform as per expectations in 2025, it could lose the Dutch driver who could move to another team.

"Max Verstappen is the best driver, no question about it," Berger said. "But before that, the best driver was in the best team. In the meantime, Max takes the coals out of the fire. Now it will be exciting to see whether Red Bull can return to its old strength or whether Verstappen will continue to have difficulty winning. Then he will think about whether he is still on the right team."

2025 is a crucial season for many in the team as this would be the first one since Adrian Newey has left. The 66-year-old was the enigma around which every success was built and Red Bull will have the added challenge of navigating in the new season in his absence.