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Fractures appear to have grown within Red Bull Racing after Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, warned the team was “in danger of being torn apart” if Christian Horner remained in charge amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the principal -teacher of the team.
Horner remains in the spotlight after a turbulent few days in Bahrain to start the new Formula One season. Although Verstappen recorded his eighth consecutive grand prix victory with a dominant display, beating teammate Sergio Pérez by more than 20 seconds, his father has spoken publicly about divisions within the team as the situation remains the biggest story in sports.
The situation became public in early February when Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing, announced that it had launched an investigation into allegations made against Horner of inappropriate conduct, saying of this “extremely serious.”
On Wednesday, Red Bull announced that the investigation, conducted by an external party, led to the dismissal of the complaint, noting that the complainant had the right to appeal. The next day, a cache of messages allegedly between Horner and the female complainant were leaked anonymously to senior F1 officials and the international media. The Athleticwhich directly received the leaked email, has not verified the contents, and Horner has repeatedly refused to comment on the messages.
In a Daily Mail interview, Jos Verstappen warned: “There is tension here as (Horner) stays in position. The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go the way it is.
“It will explode. He makes her the victim when she’s the one causing the problems.”
Chalerm Yoovidhya (centre), whose family holds a 51% shareholding in Red Bull, joins Christian Horner (second from right) and his wife Geri Halliwell-Horner (right) for the podium ceremony of Bahrain Grand Prix. (ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP)
Jos Verstappen raced in F1 between 1994 and 2003 and was central to his son’s career and success, although he had 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 night after the race.
Asked about Verstappen’s comments, a Red Bull spokesman said, “There are no issues here, the team is united and we are focused on the race.”
Tensions ran high
Jos Verstappen’s public comments have put the father of the team’s star driver at odds with its team principal.
He attends most of his son’s races. Although he is not an employee of Red Bull Racing, his closeness to Max means that he is considered to hold a certain level of influence. On Thursday, he was seen wearing a Red Bull team jacket while watching the second training session in Bahrain, where the anonymous email was circulated.
After the race, Horner said he “wouldn’t comment on what motives, whatever people might have” for the leak.
Jos denied to the Daily Mail and De Telegraaf that he was involved in the leak, telling the Daily Mail, “That doesn’t make sense. Why would I do that when Max is fine here?”
There have been increasing suggestions of discord 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 with increasing tension between senior figures within the company.
Following the race, Horner said he was “absolutely” confident he would remain in charge of the team and that his “focus is on the future season and the races we have ahead of us” after completing the process of investigation.
“The grievance raised is dismissed,” Horner said. “End of. Move on.”
He said it “hasn’t been pleasant, the unwanted attention,” but noted the “enormous support” he felt from within the team and the wider Red Bull company.
On the grid before the race, Horner spoke with Chalerm Yoovidhya, the son of Red Bull’s co-founder, whose family holds a 51% shareholding in Red Bull GmbH. Horner and his wife, Geri Halliwell-Horner, were joined by Yoovidhya and his wife to watch the podium celebration after Max Verstappen’s victory. Jos stood a few rows behind them during the ceremony.
Max Verstappen maintained throughout the Horner investigation that he was fully focused on what was happening on the track and that the situation did not distract him from his preparations for the new season.
asked by The Athletic after taking pole position on Friday if he still had full faith in Horner’s leadership, Verstappen said: “When I look at how Christian works within the team, he’s been an incredible team boss.
“So really, from the performance side of things, you can’t question that.” Verstappen said he had “said a lot” to Horner and that the Red Bull team principal was “fully committed to the team”.
His father’s comments, however, will lead to fresh questions about Horner’s dynamic 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 victory in 2021.
The nature of the brewing tension at Red Bull has led Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff (who has called for transparency in the probe) to question whether Verstappen has a chance of driving for the team for 2025 in place of Lewis Hamilton.
Wolff said: “A driver will always choose the fastest car. That’s fundamentally what it’s all about. At the moment, Red Bull is the fastest car, so in my opinion, that will always be the priority.
(Top photo of Max Verstappen with his father Jos Verstappen before the Bahrain GP: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
