Max Verstappen’s father’s comments plunge Christian Horner’s Red Bull future into doubt
Sky Sports ItalyChristian Horner’s future as Red Bull Team Principal has been thrown into fresh doubt after explosive comments from the father of F1 champion Max Verstappen.
Horner was the subject of an investigation in February after an allegation of misconduct was levelled at him by a female member of Red Bull’s staff.
Earlier this week, Horner was cleared of the allegations by Red Bull’s board, appearing to pave the way for F1’s focus to return to the race track ahead of the opening race of the 2024 season.
But on Thursday that script was torn apart after an anonymous email purporting to show WhatsApp messages sent by Horner to the female staff member was sent to Formula 1 personnel and media.
Red Bull’s main driver, Verstappen, retained his focus to win the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday but the situation has left his father, Jos, less than impressed.
“There is tension here while he remains in position,” he told the Daily Mail. “The team is in danger of being torn apart.
“It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim when he is the one causing the problems.”
Max Verstappen’s stance on Christian Horner future
Verstappen himself has withheld from commenting on Horner’s situation and has chosen to praise his impact on the track which has helped the Dutch driver win three successive Formula 1 drivers’ championships.
“Listen, when I look at how Christian operates within the team, he has been an incredible team boss,” Verstappen said.
“So absolutely, from the performance side of things, you can’t even question that.
“I speak to Christian a lot. And also, of course, throughout the weekend here, he’s fully committed to the team. He’s also here for the performance, of course. Probably a little bit distracted.
“But we just focus on the performance side of things and that is how we all work together.”