By Humberto Viera
03 Mar 2024, 14:15 PM EST
Jos Verstappen, father of Max Verstappen, Formula 1 champion, expressed that the Red Bull team would be in danger of breaking up if Christian Horner, team boss, remained in his position.
Verstappen told the Daily Mail that there is tension in the team while Horner remains in charge, adding that the situation cannot continue like this as it could lead to a team breakdown. Furthermore, Verstappen opined that Horner is victimizing himself when in reality he is the one causing the problems.
“There is tension (in the team) as long as he remains in the position,” declared the former Dutch F1 driver to the Daily Mail, hours after his son’s victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first test of the 2024 season of the top category of the motoring.
Although Red Bull announced that an internal investigation had cleared Horner of accusations of “inappropriate behavior” towards an employee, several teams questioned the transparency of this investigation.
“The team risks tearing itself apart. It can’t go on like this. He is going to explode (…) He plays the victim when he is the one who is at the root of the problems,” said Jos Verstappen.
Horner claimed that the unity in his team has never been stronger, but an anonymous email sent shortly afterwards, containing alleged WhatsApp messages written by Horner, once again cast doubt on the situation.
Christian Horner, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, has denied the allegations and was confident his job is not in jeopardy after the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he was accompanied by his wife.
“A complete and lengthy internal process was carried out (by a lawyer outside of Red Bull) and the alleged accusation has been rejected. End of story,” he told reporters in Bahrain.
Keep reading:
–Checo Pérez is satisfied with his second place in Bahrain: “It was the most we could achieve”
–“We have a lot to explore in the car”: Checo Pérez hopes for an improvement in the Bahrain classification
–Christian Horner is acquitted of the accusations against him and will continue to lead Red Bull