Jun.29 (GMM) The bubbling feud between Max Verstappen’s father and team boss burst back into life ahead of Red Bull’s home race in Austria.
Jos Verstappen, a former Formula 1 driver still closely aligned with the management of his son’s career, accused team boss Christian Horner of sabotaging his participation in a ‘legend’s parade’ at the Red Bull Ring.
Verstappen, 52, said Horner intervened to limit broadcast coverage of his demonstration run in an old Red Bull F1 car, following months of simmering tensions, a team leadership struggle, and rumours of a switch to Mercedes for Max.
“I’m completely done with him,” Verstappen senior told Dutch media.
“There were supposed to be recordings, also with a drone, but Horner didn’t want me to be filmed in Red Bull kit and colours. And I heard from several sides that Horner did everything to not let me drive.
How childish can you be? It’s like being in a playground. Then I think, ‘Say it to my face’. But it says something about him, I think,” Jos added. “Eventually I would have been allowed to drive, but I refused.”
Indeed, Jos ultimately decided to pull out of the event completely, which will still feature Gerhard Berger, David Coulthard, Emerson Fittipaldi and Johnny Herbert.
For his part, Horner denied sabotaging or vetoing Jos Verstappen’s participation in the demo.
“The legends parade is something that is organised by the circuit,” he said. “There was no veto from my side or anything like that. And I’m sure the legends will be in action later.”
Some believe the tensions between the Verstappen camp and Horner could ultimately result in Max accepting a standing offer to switch to Mercedes next year.
But Horner insisted: “The relationship with Max has always been very good, very strong. And he’s our driver. He’s the one that is important, obviously, to have a strong relationship with.
“I’ve never had an issue with any of our drivers’ fathers in the past. And whatever Jos’s issues are, I’ve really got nothing to comment on.”
Red Bull’s F1 advisor Dr Helmut Marko, who has also been at odds with Horner at times in 2024, urged the pair to sort out their differences for the sake of the team.
“We have enough problems already, and we are solving them,” he told Sky Deutschland. “McLaren is a strong competitor now and although we are in a comfortable lead, this is mainly because our competitors have been taking points from each other.
“But the situation is changing,” Marko, 81, added. “It seems that we now have only one opponent, which makes the task more difficult.
“I think this is a personal matter between Christian and Jos, and Max is in the main race, and that’s the most important thing.”