There is a genuine chance that Max Verstappen may not hold onto his points lead all the way to the season finale in Abu Dhabi, according to two Formula 1 legends, René Arnoux and Gerhard Berger.
Arnoux, the 76-year-old former Ferrari driver, links Red Bull's recent dip in performance to the internal team drama and Christian Horner scandal.
"I've been saying it ever since what I always called the 'sex and money' affair began," the Frenchman told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I said it would destabilise everyone and have repercussions on the team's performance. And that's exactly what we've seen."
Lando Norris is now consistently narrowing the points gap at almost every race, although three-time consecutive world champion Verstappen still holds a 52-point lead with six races left.
"The others have progressed, found new solutions, but Red Bull didn't. It's true that in the last race before the break, Verstappen perhaps made some progress. For that reason, I'm very curious to see what will happen in Austin," said Arnoux.
Indeed, Red Bull has used the rare three-week break between Singapore and the US Grand Prix to prepare a car upgrade, including a new floor.
But Arnoux warns that the upgrade might not be enough.
"In theory, I think Norris can do it, although let's be clear—52 points is a lot. But he (Norris) needs to learn how to start races. It's no use getting pole if you then start so badly," Arnoux said.
"Then we'll have to see if (Oscar) Piastri continues racing for himself, which will make things much harder for Lando. But if Oscar gets in the way..." Arnoux added.
Gerhard Berger, who has close ties to the Red Bull family, also believes a head-to-head showdown between Norris and Verstappen in Abu Dhabi is possible.
"Max has great potential and a lot of experience, plus Red Bull is focused only on him, so I have the feeling that in the end he can save this world championship," said the Austrian.
"But Norris has proven to be an excellent driver, even if he sometimes seems a bit fragile under pressure. But the McLaren is the fastest car on the grid now."
Like Arnoux, 65-year-old Berger also thinks McLaren's approach to team orders will be key.
"It's time for the team to make a choice and support Lando as much as possible," he said. "So far they have focused on both drivers, who still have a mathematical chance of winning the title, but in doing so Piastri ended up taking points from his teammate.
"If the drivers' championship is decided by a few points, McLaren will regret decisions like the one in Hungary," Berger added.
Berger also acknowledged Red Bull's performance struggles mid-season, confessing that at the start of the year, he predicted it would be a "boring" season dominated by Verstappen.
"Instead, the opposite is happening," he said. "The reason is that the team has entered a negative spiral and lost its serenity. And finding that harmony again will not be easy.
"For years, they relied on Adrian Newey as the technical reference, but now they have new leaders who have yet to prove themselves worthy of succeeding him," Berger said.
"In recent months, many engineers have left the team, which is also contributing to their weakening. But if, despite all this, Max manages to win the world championship, I believe Red Bull will have enough time to reorganise." body check tags ::
