F1 News Today:Chaos in the Paddock: Red Bull Accused of Sabotaging Teammate’s Car at British Grand Prix

July 17, 2025 | Silverstone Circuit – Motorsport Newsroom

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Formula 1’s reigning champions, Red Bull Racing, are at the center of a storm after shocking allegations emerged following the British Grand Prix. An anonymous insider within the team claims that internal politics led to deliberate performance manipulation—specifically, sabotage—of Sergio Pérez’s car during qualifying.

Pérez, who has struggled to match Max Verstappen’s dominance this season, qualified a dismal P16 despite strong pace during FP2 and FP3. According to the whistleblower, a “strategically flawed engine mode” was uploaded to Pérez’s car before Q1—allegedly under orders from senior Red Bull engineers pressured by upper management to consolidate Verstappen’s title defense.

“This wasn’t an accident. The car setup was intentionally compromised,” the source told Motorsport Newsroom. “The directive was to avoid another intra-team conflict like we saw back in 2023. Verstappen is the brand now—everything else is expendable.”

While Red Bull has publicly dismissed the claims as “baseless and defamatory,” FIA has reportedly launched an informal inquiry after several rival teams raised concerns over telemetry inconsistencies in Pérez’s power unit data during qualifying. When pressed in the post-race press conference, Pérez appeared visibly uncomfortable but stopped short of accusing the team outright.

“I trust the team… but yeah, something felt off today. The car just wasn’t responding the way we expected,” Pérez said.

The scandal has ignited debate across the paddock and social media, with some fans accusing Red Bull of “rigging their own race” and turning the sport into a one-driver team. Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ Team Principal, was quick to comment: “If true, this goes against the core of sporting fairness. Every driver deserves equal machinery.”

This isn’t the first time Red Bull has been accused of favoritism. Critics recall similar accusations during the Sebastian Vettel–Mark Webber era, and more recently, when team orders led to controversy in Brazil 2022. However, the suggestion of active sabotage marks an unprecedented escalation.

If the FIA uncovers evidence supporting the allegation, it could result in severe penalties—not just for Red Bull but also in how Formula 1 manages intra-team governance going forward.

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