F1, McLaren he teases Red Bull. Someone said that life itself is political. Implying the fact that our every action has direct and indirect implications on others. And it sport is no exception. The great actors and protagonists of the passion that illo tempo attempted to replace (though not entirely) war, i.e. sport, they do politics. The protagonists build relationships, attack opponents or transform them into allies and so on. In every sport, controversy with the direct opponent is also political (for example in football and boxing), to intimidate him and attack him from a psychological point of view.
Now, think about the F1. Just as you win with the driver-single-seater combination, the behind-the-scenes look is particularly interesting. And it is political in its essence. Eminently political figures are the team principals, a pompous term used to mean those who manage a team in the highest category of motorsport. And from how these “first women” or those above them, that is to say CEOs and presidents, inevitably all a little histrionic and narcissistic, some more, some less, move, we can understand in which direction the F1.
For example the McLarenwho for years lived in oblivion due to incorrect choices and budget reduced, is forcefully returning to the limelight, to the stage it deserves due to its history and coat of arms. And, if you notice, also the CEO of McLaren, Zak Brown, he suddenly became particularly talkative. The target of his polemical outbursts is, guess what, the team that is dominating the current technical cycle, namely the Red Bull. And, in particular, his “boss”, the very nice and never irritating one Christian Horner. Let’s try to connect the dots.
F1, McLaren uses Red Bull tactics
McLaren he comes from one victory and four second places in the last five races. A nice roadmap which was counterbalanced by one Red Bull yes successful but very “tired”. Now, the good rule of the professional politician states that, if a direct opponent is in difficulty, either you make him an ally or you destroy him mercilessly. Now, in F1 It’s not like you can team up too much, because in the end only one person wins, so the battle remains. And so, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence, the CEO of McLaren He attacked Horner repeatedly since the beginning of this World Cup.
First complaining about dual ownership Red Bullas the team effectively owns the VCARBthen repeating to the entire world how unpleasant and harmful it was to the image of the F1 the scandal that had hit the team main rival. And, just so as not to leave the “good” alone Hornerexplaining that he had received several CV coming from Milton Keynes. Implying that there was a general stampede. Well: it’s about politics. These are actions aimed at disturbing the direct opponent, no more and no less.
Because it will be true that in Red Bull they continue to win, but it is also true that in a situation where you don’t win in slippers, every detail is decisive. And background noise can be distracting. Very. And so we come to the last episode, namely the interview of Zak Brown to the podcast Hot Pursuit Of Bloomberg: “Red Bull is a pretty toxic environment right now. There will be consequences, first of all because Adrian Newey’s departure is important and CVs were already circulating. You notice that there is a certain level of discomfort”
“No doubt in the future they will also have difficulties with sponsors, because they will carefully evaluate the opportunity to associate with their brand”, claims the American. Brown he then increased the dose, “Then there’s the whole situation relating to Verstappen, is he staying or going? He has a contract, but his father was quite clear. Red Bull is a great team but it is destabilized, they are no longer as strong as they used to be. To date, those who have the best momentum at the moment, also in terms of visibility, are Ferrari and McLaren. But things change rapidly and we need to keep our feet on the ground.”
Also in this case, in my opinion, the objective was to disturb the opponents as much as possible. You know, yes sport it’s a big stage, like life. And it often happens that, when you go into crisis, others repay you with the same coin as you. Until the next round. Because of this McLaren he put into practice a lesson learned from it Red Bull when, in unsuspecting times, the years of overwhelming domination of the Mercedes, Horner he never missed an opportunity to fuel controversy about the team Brackely. In F1 time is indeed a gentleman. Or maybe not…
Author: Mariano Froldi – @MarianoFroldi
Images: Oracle Red Bull Racing – McLaren
