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Eric Boullier, former team principal of McLaren and Lotus, has issued a cautionary statement regarding Red Bull Racing’s current situation, highlighting that the team could be treading on dangerous ground. According to Boullier, Red Bull’s extraordinary reliance on Max Verstappen, their star driver and three-time World Champion, is creating a significant vulnerability. Verstappen is now perilously close to a race suspension, and Boullier believes the team may not be fully prepared to cope without him.
Verstappen’s dominance in Formula 1 over the past few seasons has been a crucial factor in Red Bull’s ongoing success. His unmatched consistency, aggressive driving style, and ability to extract the maximum from the car have solidified his status as the backbone of the team. However, that very aggressiveness has come at a cost. Verstappen is now just one penalty point away from an automatic race ban under the FIA’s disciplinary system, which imposes a one-race suspension on drivers who accumulate twelve penalty points within a twelve-month period.
This situation has raised significant alarm bells, particularly among those with deep experience in F1 team management. Boullier, in particular, emphasized that Red Bull’s almost singular dependence on Verstappen could prove catastrophic if the driver is forced to miss a race. In his view, the team has built its strategy, car development, and race execution so tightly around Verstappen’s style and feedback that they may struggle to adapt quickly if he were to be sidelined.
“Max is clearly an exceptional talent and Red Bull has capitalized on that perfectly,” Boullier explained. “But when you build so much around one person, you inevitably expose yourself to risk if that person is suddenly out of the picture, even temporarily. The penalty point system is a real threat now. Just one small mistake or controversial incident could see Max sitting out a race, and the question is—can Red Bull still deliver without him?”
Currently, Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, has had a mixed season with performances that, while competent, have not consistently matched Verstappen’s extraordinary pace. This further compounds Red Bull’s reliance on their lead driver. Perez has occasionally shown flashes of brilliance but has often struggled to stay within striking distance of Verstappen, making it unclear whether he could lead the team effectively in Verstappen’s absence.
Boullier pointed out that while other top teams like Mercedes and Ferrari often have two drivers performing at a similar level, Red Bull’s dynamic is different. They’ve essentially optimized their entire operation around Verstappen’s aggressive style, and adapting to another lead driver could take time the team simply doesn’t have during a tightly packed race calendar.
The former McLaren chief also highlighted the pressure Verstappen now faces. Knowing he is just one penalty point away from a race ban could influence his driving style, potentially forcing him to be more cautious and less aggressive, which might not suit his natural approach to racing. “When you put a champion like Max in a situation where he has to think twice about every move, it can disrupt his rhythm. And Formula 1 is all about rhythm, precision, and instinct,” Boullier added.
The threat of a suspension comes at a crucial time, with the championship battle intensifying. Though Verstappen currently holds a comfortable lead, Formula 1’s unpredictable nature means that losing points due to a forced absence could dramatically alter the title race.
Boullier’s warning serves as a timely reminder that no matter how dominant a team may appear, overreliance on a single driver carries substantial risk. Red Bull now finds itself in a position where a single misstep by Verstappen could expose a critical weakness. Whether the team can safeguard against that scenario remains to be seen, but Boullier’s comments suggest that Red Bull would do well to start preparing for contingencies sooner rather than later.
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