CHRISTIAN HORNER has been warned that Red Bull are at risk of "falling apart" after the exit of Adrian Newey.
This morning it was announced legendary designer Newey, who has won 12 Formula One constructors titles including six at Red Bull, would be leaving the team at the end of the season.
His exit is credited to growing disillusioned with life in F1 following the power struggle that has raged at Red Bull this season after the Christian Horner sexting scandal.
And the 65-year-old's exit from the team after 19 years will serve to crank up the pressure on team boss Horner.
Horner has denied the allegations and was cleared of wrongdoing after an internal investigation.
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The complainant, who has subsequently been suspended, has appealed the decision.
Jos Verstappen is one party who has been outspoken against Horner's leadership this year, and was spotted engaging in a heated argument with Horner in Bahrain this year.
He has even gone so far as to suggest son and three-time world champion Max Verstappen could leave.
SunSport revealed Mercedes are preparing to offer the Dutchman a contract worth £128million a year.
A meeting between Verstappen's team and Mercedes chiefs is set to commence after this weekends Miami Grand Prix.
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Speaking to De Telegraaf, Verstappen has now said he aired his fears about the team earlier this season.
He said: "The team is in danger of falling apart. I was afraid of that earlier this year.
"For internal peace, it is important that key people stay on board. That is not the case now.
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"Newey is leaving and earlier this year it also looked like Helmut [Marko] would be sent away. For the future, that is not good."
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was placed under investigation by the team earlier this season, with Verstappen threatening to quit if Marko departed.
On his exit from the team, Newey said: "Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars.
"My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and I've been lucky enough to make that dream a reality.
"For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing's progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning team.
"However, I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself.
"In the interim, the final stages of development of RB17 are upon us, so for the remainder of my time with the team my focus will lie there."
Newey has been heavily linked with moves to Aston Martin and Ferrari, though the Scuderia are the hot favourites to land him.
This means he could link up with Lewis Hamilton to help build a title-winning car - which would be Ferrari's first since 2008 - when the new 2026 regulations kick in.
On Newey's departure, Horner said: "All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian's hand on the technical tiller.
"His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons.
"His exceptional ability to conceptualise beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of grand prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late [Red Bull co-founder] Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined.
"More than that, the past 19 years with Adrian have been enormous fun.
"For me, when Adrian joined Red Bull, he was already a superstar designer. Two decades and 13 Championships later he leaves as a true legend.
"He is also my friend and someone I will be eternally grateful to for everything he brought to our partnership.
"The legacy he leaves behind will echo through the halls of Milton Keynes and RB17 Track Car will be a fitting testament and legacy to his time with us."
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