Who should succeed Horner at Red Bull? Here are the candidates!

Max Verstappen could not hide his immense surprise. Why did we switch to the hard tyres, the four-time world champion wondered aloud, as he realised he was heading towards a lost final phase of the Spanish Grand Prix?

Shortly thereafter, Verstappen was instructed to let George Russell pass, to the great dismay of the Dutchman who - unlike the people at the pit wall - knew the rules. It was thought that Verstappen left the track to gain advantage and had to give back the place to the Mercedes driver.

Verstappen did - while protesting over the team radio - what he was asked, only to find out after the race that he was right and therefore didn't need to give the place back. Ultimately, it was two decisions by Red Bull Racing that led to a tenth place - although, of course, there was also the clash with Russell for which Verstappen got a time penalty.

Looking back, the Dutch camp laments that this would not have happened if Jonathan Wheatley was still at the pit wall, who as team manager made the right choices for Red Bull for years. Wheatley would have known that Verstappen didn't need to give the place back, so the clash would also not have happened under his watch.

Wheatley has been the team principal at Sauber (the future Audi) since last April and just as Red Bull miss him, it is already evident how important he is to the Swiss. Sauber now have the fastest pit stops in the field, while Red Bull's are among the slowest on average. Who was responsible for this at Red Bull in the past? Indeed, Jonathan Wheatley.

To regard Wheatley solely for these reasons as the best candidate to potentially succeed Horner would be oversimplifying. Above all, Wheatley is a people manager, someone everyone goes through fire for. Precisely what no longer applies to Horner, who is flirting with Alpine. But bad luck for Red Bull: Wheatley now leads at the ambitious Audi project, so the chance of his returning to the Austrians seems negligible.

Yet Red Bull does not have to look far to find a replacement for Horner. That person is already in-house in the form of Peter Bayer. As CEO, the Austrian has transformed Racing Bulls into one of the strongest teams in the midfield. Moreover, the atmosphere internally is more than excellent, also a merit of Bayer who has positioned the right people in the right places.

Peter Bayer would not need a long period to adjust to Red Bull because he knows the company inside and out and there is also great respect for him at Red Bull. All in all, Red Bull would not be paralysed if Horner were no longer there, for that, the much-desired breath of fresh air is already present.