It seems like there is no end to Red Bull‘s troubles and now the bad luck has carried over to the track as well. For the last two months, the persistent bad omen was limited to the outside world as the Austrian team executed the opening to race weekends to perfection. However, now their luck has run out as ahead of the Australian GP, Christian Horner and Co. received a piece of concerning news for the race.

During the opening day of the Australian GP, we saw an unexpected incident from Max Verstappen. The faultless Dutchman lost control of his RB20 in the first of the two practice sessions for the day. Verstappen damaged the car’s floor which kept him parked in the garage for a further 23 minutes even during FP2. Despite that, the Dutchman secured the 35th pole position of his career.

However, because of the damage, there are concerns within the team. Because of the overuse of the damaged Power Unit (PU) on Verstappen’s RB20, it might not be salvageable.

There are chances the PU has taken enough damage that the team might have to use a different power unit for the race which will effectively give Verstappen grid penalties. It will be the Dutchman’s first power unit change of the season but because of a change during the weekend, it will result in a grid penalty.

There is no official confirmation yet but we expect to hear the news during the day as a decision will have to be made early to maximize the result from the race. However, despite the continued bad luck, everyone is optimistic, especially Horner.

Christian Horner is optimistic about Red Bull’s turnaround

The boss has been under scrutiny for almost two months now with no signs of relief despite his not-guilty verdict after an investigation. Many believe he will leave, or be fired which won’t have an impact on the team. However, Horner is staying positive amidst all the drama. He is optimistic about his position, about his team’s outlook toward him, and the team’s unity, especially Verstappen’s.

He made it evident when discussing Verstappen’s potential exit from the team. Horner said, “I’m certain that he will (stay). He’s got a great team around him, he’s got great faith in that team, and we have achieved an awful lot together. He’s committed to an agreement to 2028 and from the team side, from Max’s side, we’re determined to build on the success we’ve achieved already.”

It would be extremely unlikely to see Verstappen leave such a dominating team with which he’s won three championships back-to-back. With the way things are going, he is well on course toward his fourth. The only scenario we can see Verstappen leave is possibly after 2025 if he believes the new regulations will affect Red Bull’s output. Before that, as Horner said, he’s staying and a blip in the race is not enough reason.

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