- Written by Andrew Benson
- chief f1 writer
image source, Getty Images
Max Verstappen and Christian Horner celebrate victory at Saturday's Bahrain Grand Prix
The father of the team's F1 champion Max Verstappen has said the controversy surrounding Red Bull manager Christian Horner is “driving people apart”.
“We can't continue like this,” said former F1 driver Jos Verstappen.
“The situation is not good for the team and is driving people closer together.”
Verstappen also denied that he was the source of the leaks about Horner.
Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the 51-year-old said: “But why would I do something like that? Max has a contract with Red Bull until 2028 and he's been doing great, and here he is. “I feel at home. I feel at home here.” I have no interest in that at all. ”
Verstappen made similar comments to the Daily Mail, saying Red Bull would “explode” if Horner remained in his position, adding: “He's playing the victim when he's the one causing the problem. There is,” he added.
Verstappen told BBC Sport that he made the comments to the two newspapers after his fight with Horner in Bahrain.
He added that Max saw the comments but didn't say anything.
BBC Sport has contacted Red Bull for comment.
Verstappen's intervention is potentially significant as his son wields significant influence within Red Bull as a result of his on-track success.
This also reflects internal tensions that are known to exist within Red Bull, between team principal Horner and the company's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko. Even between the Thai majority owner and the executives at the Austrian headquarters.
Last year, Verstappen supported Marko, an Austrian who had a falling out with Horner.
Ownership of the company is split, with Thailand's Yoovidhya family holding 51% and Austria's Red Bull holding 49% under Mark Mateschitz, son of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away in October 2022. is held.
image source, Getty Images
Geri and Christian Horner were pictured together at Saturday's Bahrain Grand Prix
Max Verstappen started his bid for a fourth consecutive world title with a commanding victory in Saturday's Bahrain Grand Prix.
In the build-up to the race in Bahrain, the defending champion was asked four times whether he had full confidence in Horner as Red Bull team principal, and each time he gave only qualified support.
The Horner controversy dominated the events of the season opener.
A day after Red Bull announced it had “dismissed” complaints against Horner following an internal investigation, an anonymous email containing messages purporting to implicate Horner was leaked.
“We do not comment on anonymous, speculative messages from unknown sources,” Horner said.
He added that he was “absolutely” confident he would play his role throughout the season.
“I was always completely confident that I would be here,” he said.
“There was a thorough and lengthy internal process, completed by an independent KC, and the complaints raised were dismissed. That's it. We move on.”
Attempts to get him to say whether the messages were genuine were blocked by a Red Bull spokesperson.
Red Bull declined to release the names of the lawyers involved and declined to provide details about the report compiled or how it arrived at its decision.
Horner's wife Geri visited the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday in a clear show of solidarity after buzzing about the topic in the days leading up to the race.
Chalam Yuvidya, head of the Thai family that co-owns Red Bull, was also in attendance. Yuvidya declined to answer questions from BBC Sport.
F1's governing body, the FIA, said it was in discussions with commercial rights holder F1 Management over the issue.
