Red Bull has now confirmed officially that its embattled team boss Christian Horner will indeed be present at the launch of the 2024 car on Thursday.
A media advisory put out by the dominant Formula 1 team said the live-streamed event from Milton-Keynes will feature "team principal Christian Horner" alongside the drivers.
Also at the launch of the car that Max Verstappen will attempt to win a fourth consecutive drivers' title with will be Dr Helmut Marko - despite strong rumours that the outfit's Austrian faction is involved in the push to oust Horner.
Horner, 50, is being investigated by Red Bull Racing's energy drink company parent for supposed "inappropriate behaviour" with a staff member, with his friend Bernie Ecclestone suspecting his enemies "want to overthrow him".
When asked to finally comment on the saga involving Horner, including how much it has disrupted preparations for the season, 80-year-old Marko told Osterreich newspaper: "I can't tell you that or anything else on this topic.
"As long as the investigation is ongoing or there is no result, you will not hear anything from me. This is an ongoing process," said Marko, whose supposed power struggle with Horner already dates back several months.
"I hope that we can quickly get our turbulence under control," the Austrian insisted. "Luckily our car is ready and we are well prepared."
Instead, Marko turns his attention to Lewis Hamilton's shock 2025 switch to Ferrari, describing it as a "weakening for Mercedes".
"It completely surprised me, too," he said. "I wonder how it happened.
"Mercedes was overtaken by Ferrari in the second half of 2023, and McLaren was also faster. Perhaps Hamilton noticed something that the outside world does not yet know about," added Marko.
"It doesn't change anything for us, except that I see it as a weakening of Mercedes. Whether it will strengthen Ferrari remains to be seen.
"Overall, it has an incredible impact, right down to the stock market prices. It's great that something is happening."
Marko suspects Hamilton's impending departure could be a major disruption for Mercedes.
"Normally, in a situation like this, your mind is already more focused on the new team. The current team then cannot let him take part in any serious innovations because he would of course take them with him.
"The whole thing is excellent for the sport," Marko said, smiling: "Better than Netflix."
As for how Verstappen reacted to the Hamilton bombshell, he smiled again: "He was just amused." body check tags ::
