Max Verstappen’s father: Red Bull could be ‘torn apart’ if Horner stays

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Fractures within Red Bull Racing appear to have widened after Max Verstappen’s father Jos warned the team was “in danger of being torn apart” if Christian Horner were to remain in charge, amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the team boss.

Horner continues to be in the spotlight after a turbulent few days in Bahrain to start the new Formula 1 season. Although Verstappen claimed his eighth consecutive Grand Prix victory with a dominant performance, beating teammate Sergio Pérez by more than 20 seconds, his father publicly spoke out about divisions within the team as the situation remains the biggest story in the sport.

The situation became public in early February when Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing, announced it had launched an investigation into allegations against Horner of inappropriate behavior, which it said it was taking “extremely seriously”.

On Wednesday, Red Bull announced that the investigation, conducted by a third party, had led to the complaint being dismissed, noting that the complainant had the right to appeal. The following day, a collection of messages allegedly communicated between Horner and the female complainant were leaked anonymously to senior F1 officials and the international media. The Athleticsthat received the email leak directly has been unable to verify the contents and Horner has repeatedly declined to comment on the messages.

In a interview with the Daily MailJos Verstappen warned: “There is tension here while (Horner) remains in position. The team is in danger of falling apart. It cannot continue as it is.

“It will explode. He plays the victim when he is the one causing the problems.”

Jos Verstappen raced in F1 between 1994 and 2003 and has played a central role in his son’s career and success, even though he has no formal role in the team. He made similar comments about the controversy in a separate interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, also published on Saturday evening after the race.

Asked about Verstappen’s comments, a Red Bull spokesperson said: “There are no problems here, the team is united and we are focused on racing.”

Tensions escalate

Jos Verstappen’s comments publicly pitted the father of the team’s star driver against his team boss.

He attends the vast majority of his son’s races. Although he is not an employee of Red Bull Racing, his close relationship with Max means he has a degree of influence. On Thursday he was seen wearing a Red Bull team jacket while watching the second training session in Bahrain, during which the anonymous email was distributed.

After the race, Horner said he would “not comment on what motives any person might have” for the leak.

Jos denied to both the Daily Mail and De Telegraaf that he was involved in the leak, telling the Daily Mail: “That wouldn’t make sense. Why would I do that if Max is doing so well here?”

There has been mounting evidence of friction within the team since the death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022. Mateschitz was the undisputed leader of the company’s F1 efforts, and his absence has led to increased tensions between senior figures within the team. company.

After the race, Horner said he was “absolutely” confident that he would remain in charge of the team and that his “focus is on the season ahead and the races we have ahead of us” following the completion of the investigation process .

“The complaint that was made was dismissed,” Horner said. “End of. Continue.”

He said it had ‘not been pleasant, the unwanted attention’, but spoke of the ‘huge support’ he felt from the team and the wider Red Bull company.

On the grid before the race, Horner spoke to Chalerm Yoovidhya, the son of Red Bull’s co-founder, whose family has a 51% stake in Red Bull GmbH. Horner and his wife, Geri Halliwell-Horner, were joined by Yoovidhya and his wife to attend the podium celebrations following Max Verstappen’s victory. Jos stood a few rows behind them during the ceremony.

Max Verstappen has maintained throughout the investigation into Horner that he is fully focused on what is happening on the track and that the situation has not distracted him from his preparations for the new season.

Requested by The Athletics on whether he still had full confidence in Horner’s leadership, Verstappen said after taking pole position on Friday: “When I look at how Christian operates within the team, he has been an incredible team boss.

“So absolutely, from the performance side, you can’t even question that.” Verstappen said he spoke to Horner “a lot” and that the Red Bull team boss was “fully involved in the team.”

His father’s comments will nevertheless lead to new questions about the dynamic with Horner ahead of the second round of the season in Saudi Arabia in a few days.

Max is under contract with Red Bull until 2028 after signing one of the longest and most lucrative contracts in F1 history following his first championship success in 2021.

The nature of the brewing tension at Red Bull led to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff (who has called for transparency in the investigation) being asked whether there was any chance Verstappen could drive for the team before 2025 as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton .

Wolff said: “A driver will always choose the fastest car. That’s essentially what it’s all about. At the moment Red Bull is the fastest car, so that will always be the priority in my opinion.”

(Main photo of Max Verstappen with his father Jos Verstappen ahead of the Bahrain GP: Clive Mason/Getty Images)