Well, if you’re going to get wrong-footed, this is the way to do it. The Machiavellian politics of F1 racing, the bit that actually makes it fun, has unshipped both Boyds Own Paper, and our less-esteemed Pit Lane Reporter, Gerry “Gearshift” O’Rourke. Last week, you might remember, Gerry suggested that rumours surrounding Horner’s imminent departure were false, and that confirmation was expected soon that Max Vertsappen was off to Mercedes. He wondered what Toto Wolff (CEO Mercedes) had offered Max’s dad Jos, apart from life without Christian. Many people believed that Jos’ politicking was the largest part of the team’s problems.
We now know today, that the answer appears to be, Max stays but Christian goes. One can only speculate, but allegedly the Thais who own 51% of Red Bull, railroaded the original 49% Austrian ownership into agreeing to this piece of blackmail. A poor season’s results too date; too many senior engineers going to other teams; the hangover of the sex allegations; the relentless pressure from Team Verstappen (who in the words of The Godfather, had made it “personal”); quite a deal of negative “off the record” press briefings; all pointed to a lack of discipline in Thai eyes. They were already fed-up with the amount of boardroom power Christian Horner had ceded to himself, who believed that the weakening Austrian shareholder support was still something of a flak-jacket against the Verstappen enmity. Wrong! Sadly, I suspect we will also be subjected to a press onslaught on CH and wife Gerri’s personal lives, which is thought to be under some pressure. Down but not out, for both of them, I hope.
The July Meeting is one of my favourite meetings of the year. Decades ago, the Turf Club used to have a tent on the other side of the course to the Grandstands. It was rumoured among the younger members, that the entire marquee was
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