Max Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, has publicly called for Christian Horner to resign from his role as team principal, so he will not be present at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
Jos Verstappen, who has openly demanded that Christian Horner quit Red Bull, has announced he will not be attending this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
In the wake of Horner’s investigation, Verstappen Sr., the father of three-time Formula 1 world champion Max, has been vocal. Horner was cleared of charges related to “inappropriate behavior” after being the team principal of Red Bull Racing.
Although Horner has maintained his innocence throughout, Verstappen Jr.’s victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix was overshadowed by the investigation and the subsequent release of texts and photos purportedly showing Horner and a female colleague.
After the race on Saturday, Verstappen Sr. insisted, saying, “There is tension here as long as he (Horner) stays 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.”
Less than 48 hours after making those remarks, Verstappen Sr. has decided not to attend the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, according to ESPN. According to the report, Verstappen Sr. later returned and apologized, but the Dutchman was seen having a “heated argument” the night before the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Verstappen Sr. publicly called for Horner to step down, but the Red Bull CEO declined the request, stating over the weekend that he had no plans to do so.
Verstappen has taken a more cautious stance lately, but his father hasn’t held back either. Still, he refrained from publicly endorsing Horner when questioned about the circumstances.
Verstappen stated: “We are completely focused on the car and the performance here over the weekend, from my perspective and what I believe I can also see from the mechanics and engineers. We continue to operate in this manner because, in my opinion, that is how things should be because it is not our business. Not that we’re all that involved in that.
“And the reason we’re here is because we get paid to perform our jobs, which we also love to do. We thus concentrate on that.”
In the race on Saturday, Verstappens’ teammate Sergio Perez finished in second place, helping Red Bull secure a one-two finish. After the race, Horner used the occasion to reiterate that the team was “absolutely” cohesive.
He said: “We are a very strong team. We have got tremendous support, tremendous partners and great shareholders behind us as well. You don’t achieve this kind of result by not being united.”
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