Max’s father Jos told the media that Red Bull “will explode,” and that Christian Horner is just “playing the victim.”
Max Verstappen‘s father Jos isn’t known for being quiet or flying under the radar. Still, even for someone with his reputation, his comments on the Christian Horner fiasco have unnecessarily put his Formula 1 champion son in a hard spot. Steering clear of any drama was no longer an option after Jos essentially threw a Molotov cocktail inside Red Bull Racing’s motorhome last weekend, pointing the finger at Horner.
“The team is in danger of being torn apart,” Jos told The Daily Mail. “It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
Max Verstappen addressed the media ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, opening up for the first time about Jos’ heated clash with Horner in Bahrain. The young champ didn’t comment on his father’s purview that the team “will explode” if Horner remains in charge, but he quickly pointed out that he is “not a liar.”
“From when I was already in go-karting, he’s always very outspoken. He’s not a liar, that’s for sure,” said Verstappen. “But on the other hand, also, you know, I’m not the guy who likes to speak a lot about certain stuff. I just want to focus on the driving bit. And if there are any issues, we try to resolve them within the team.
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“I think everyone is man enough and respectful enough to each other anyway, in that sense. I don’t always agree with everything that happened, just in general in F1, and that’s why sometimes it’s good to have a discussion about things,” he added.
Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton, who is all too familiar with having parents involved in their kid’s F1 career, was also questioned by the media about Verstappen’s difficult position after his father’s comments.
“I don’t know the details of it so I don’t know what he’s basing these foundations off,” Hamilton told the media in regards to Jos’ comment that Red Bull would explode. “But at the end of the day, he’s not a part of the team, he’s a parent and so that’s just an opinion, but it’s definitely not helpful [to Verstappen].”
Hamilton’s father Anthony was deeply involved in the seven-time world champ’s career, acting as his manager and advisor early on. Following misunderstandings and tension regarding contracts and endorsements, Hamilton chose to distance his family from his business dealings.
“I think it is a very thin line to walk,” he told Racing News 365. “It’s also dependent on your relationship with your parent.
“So I don’t know about his [Verstappen’s] relationships. Obviously, you hear things here and there. But Max is a grown man, and he’s a champion, and I’m sure he can make his own decisions. In our world, as drivers, it’s very, very easy to be misled by people whispering in your ear, and perhaps not guiding you always the right way. But that’s clearly not the case there, he’s performing well.
“So it is very difficult because you want your parent to be your parent, and have a good relationship. But when business is involved, it makes it really difficult.”
Verstappen has tried to distance himself from all the chaos that’s engulfed his team in the past month. Red Bull began investigating Horner in early February for alleged inappropriate behavior toward a female subordinate. This became even more difficult as alleged proof of this behavior was emailed to journalists and the F1 paddock on the eve of the season-opening race. The files sent have not been authenticated and Horner denies all allegations.
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