Amidst the continuous issue surrounding the team principal, Red Bull Racing appears to have become more fractured when Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, told the team that it was “in danger of being torn apart” if Christian Horner stayed in charge.
After a tumultuous few days in Bahrain to begin the 2018 Formula One season, Horner is still in the public eye. Even though Verstappen defeated teammate Sergio Pérez by more than 20 seconds to win his eighth straight grand prix, his father openly discussed team conflicts because the problem is still the biggest topic in the sport.
Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing, made the situation public at the beginning of February by announcing that it had opened an investigation into claims that Horner had engaged in inappropriate behavior, which it claimed it regarded “extremely seriously.”
Red Bull said on Wednesday that the complaint had been dropped as a result of the external inquiry, adding that the complainant was free to file an appeal. The following day, high-ranking Formula One executives and the global media received an anonymous leak of a cache of communications purportedly exchanged between Horner and the female complainant. Although Horner has consistently declined to comment on the conversations, The Athletic, which was the recipient of the email leak directly, has not been able to confirm the contents.
Jos Verstappen issued the following warning in an interview with the Daily Mail: “There is tension here while (Horner) remains in position.” There’s a chance the team will fall apart. Things cannot continue as they are.
It’s going to blow up. Even though he is the one creating the issues, he is acting the victim.
Jos Verstappen, who competed in Formula One from 1994 to 2003, was instrumental in his son’s performance and career even though he did not hold an official position on the team. In a different interview with the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, which was also published Saturday night following the race, he discussed the situation in similar terms.
A Red Bull representative responded, “There are no issues here, the team is united and we are focused on racing,” when asked about Verstappen’s remarks.
