Christian Horner has addressed Max Verstappen’s dad, Jos, calling for him to step down as Red Bull boss for fear of the F1 team ‘exploding’. Horner is in Saudi Arabia preparing for this weekend’s Grand Prix after Red Bull cruised to a one-two finish in Bahrain last time out.
Red Bull GmbH investigated and subsequently dismissed a complaint made against Horner by a female colleague concerning alleged inappropriate behaviour. The 50-year-old has remained in the firing line, however, after WhatsApp messages and photos allegedly sent from Horner to an unnamed person were leaked to journalists from an anonymous source.
Horner strenuously denies wrongdoing and intends to continue performing his team principal duties as normal. A falling-out with Jos Verstappen has heaped further strain on the situation, and the pair were spotted in what appeared to be a heated discussion last weekend in Bahrain.
Verstappen Sr subsequently called for Horner to step down. “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.”
Verstappen Jr, the reigning three-time world champion and Red Bull extraordinaire, jumped to his father’s defence when asked if he regretted the comments, insisting ‘he is not a liar’.
Horner chose his words carefully during a tense press conference on Thursday, saying: “Max’s father has played a key role in his career and getting him to Formula One. Jos is is own man, Max is his own man. It’s not for me to comment on relationships between fathers and drivers. They are all unique between the different individuals.
The opening race of the 2024 season told a similar story, with Verstappen strolling to victory at the Bahrain International Circuit. Ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix in Jeddah, Horner has urged the watching world to draw a line under his high-profile saga and move on.
“Obviously there’s been an awful lot of coverage surrounding this,” he said. “But one has to go back to the basics: a grievance was raised, it was investigated, and it was dismissed.”
