Christian Horner ‘holds a face-to-face meeting’ with Max Verstappen’s agent

RED Bull chief Christian Horner met with Max Verstappen’s representative on Monday in a bid to calm rising tensions in his F1 team.

The crisis talks in Dubai came just 48 hours after the Dutch driver’s father, Jos, said Red Bull would “explode” if Horner stayed on his track.

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Max’s manager Raymond Vermeulen is said to have acted on behalf of the Verstappens, who were not present.

A source said the summit – reportedly attended by senior Red Bull figures – “went well”.

Horner has faced intense criticism in recent weeks following allegations of ‘sex’ and harassment against him by a female colleague.

An internal investigation by Red Bull cleared the 50-year-old, who has always denied the claims.

After his son won the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, Verstappen senior hinted that “victim” Horner should resign.

He told the Daily Mail: “There is tension here as he (Horner) remains in position.

“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It cannot continue as it is. It will explode.

“He plays the victim, while he is the one causing the problems.”

The comments came as a video emerged of Jos having a “heated” conversation with Horner before the start of Sunday’s race.

After the race, Horner said he was “absolutely confident” he would remain Red Bull boss for the rest of the season, after overseeing Verstappen leading a one-two from teammate Sergio Perez.

In response to Jos Verstappen’s comments, a Red Bull Racing spokesperson said: “There are no problems here. The team is united and we are focused on racing.”

The next Grand Prix will take place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.