Will Christian Horner's power struggle within Red Bull lead to Max Verstappen's departure?
When February arrived, no one except the elite inner circle of Ferrari and Mercedes knew that one of the most surprising moves in F1 history was about to be announced.
Lewis Hamilton, who spent 12 years with Mercedes and 18 years with the German manufacturer in F1, decided to join Scuderia Ferrari next season, and it was a bolt from the blue that made what he called a "child's dream".
A month on, Hamilton's transfer could have been beaten if Joss Verstappen hadn't gotten his way and had Christian Horner resign from his £8 million-a-year position as team principal, who had stubbornly clinged to the sport in the face of a rare storm that swept through F1.
If there were any doubts about the ongoing war within Red Bull at the moment, Max's father made his stance clear with his sexual remarks, reversing his previous advice about team unity and harmony.
Verstappen Sr. said there was "tension" within the team when Horner was on the scene, there was a "danger of being torn apart" and that if it continued, it would eventually "explode".
The former F1 driver even hinted that Horner "plays victim when it comes to creating problems".
This is the latest pantomime to be staged on the desert stage of the Bahrain International Circuit last week. There, Max dropped his rival to the sand with a flawless drive to win the Grand Slam, suggesting that a fourth Drivers' Championship and more records were on the horizon in the longest 24-race Grand Prix season in F1 history.
The 26-year-old driver was in the prime of his game, showing his innate flair for change, but was unable to change that during the formative years of Red Bull's career, until he finally landed an Adrian Newey-inspired car.
Of course, he will never leave the exalted position he currently occupies, but this seems to be the potential apocalyptic scenario that Joss Verstappen infered from Horner – either him or us!
After a female Red Bull employee filed a complaint against Horner and sparked an investigation into her "misconduct", Horner has so far been threatened with legal recourse – an appeal is still possible.
The 50-year-old's innocence was acquitted in a 100-page investigation report drafted by KC, one of Britain's most important legal positions, and Red Bull's parent company called the investigation "fair, rigorous and impartial".
The 89-word statement had no impact on many in the paddock, particularly team owners Toto Wolf and Zach Brown, who both called for transparency at a time when F1 was promoting the need for greater inclusion and diversity in the sport.
Subsequently, Horner managed to survive a tsunami. Twenty-four hours later, an anonymous email was released anonymously to F1, the FIA, Liberty** and numerous F1 journalists, containing documents of an alleged WhatsApp conversation between him and the woman in question, as well as some**.
If there was any intention to humiliate Horner on behalf of the sender and force him to resign, it failed. Instead, Horner stood his ground and walked out of the back door of the paddock on game day before taking his wife Gerry by the hand and returning to the middle of the front row.
In fact, F1, FIA and Liberty** are included in the email blitz, though, making them directly functional. However, despite the request for a full report to enable them to make judgments, this is still unattainable and their hands are tied at the moment.
However, it is now known that FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem advised Max Verstappen to publicly support Horner, which he had failed to do on several previous opportunities.
The suggestion was made in a noisy environment, and Ben Sulaye covered his mouth with his hand. However, his words were made public, and after his son brought it up to him, Jos became the probable initiator.
So, with legal avenues and humiliation tactics failing to achieve the desired results, we now have Jos's seemingly central options, as well as the potential threat of pulling Max out of the Red Bull team.
For the team's array of well-known partners – Oracle, Ford, Visa, TAG Heuer, AT&t, Heineken, and more – this is undoubtedly non-negotiable. Max Verstappen is the face of their organization, a voucher that helps offset the millions of dollars they spend on sponsorships.
As incendiary political rhetoric develops, you have to trust Jos to know exactly what he's saying and how he's likely to react when he speaks. As one source told me, Jos was "obsessed with getting Horner out".
To add to the fun, Jos Verstappen was spotted talking to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolf during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend and heard that they had dinner together one night.
These two may have had differences of opinion in the past, but as allies, they can be a formidable couple when you consider that there is no love between Wolf and Horner.
Naturally, in addition to Red Bull, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will play for Ferrari for at least two years from 2025 as teammates, and Mercedes is the most attractive option for Marquez to move on.
While it appears that his contract has four years left to expire, in addition to the performance-related clause previously mentioned by Helmut Marko, as with Hamilton and Mercedes, the exit clause is there.
Marco may be in possession of the keys, as it has been stated to ** that if he leaves, a clause will also allow Max to follow suit.
So he went to Mercedes? As Wolff brazenly said after Saturday's race in Bahrain: "Anything is possible", and he should have known that after being caught off guard by Hamilton and his move to Ferrari.
As for Joss Verstappen, we all know what he was making when he blew out the candles on his birthday cake.
For Horner, this week's Saudi Grand Prix brought some consolation in the absence of Joss as he travelled to Belgium for a rally. However, the farce will continue to play out.
The bottom line, however, is that at the heart of it all is a woman who has been forgotten and who is still accepting her legal failures.
F1 and the FIA will do a good job of reminding themselves of this fact as they watch the power struggle ** Red Bull.