A more than authoritative voice and a disturbing message for Formula 1 fans. Jos Verstappenfather of the current triple champion Max Verstappenstated that the Red Bull team is going to “blow” if the team boss Christian Hornerrecently cleared of accusations of “inappropriate behavior” toward an employee, remains in his position.
“There is tension (in the team) as long as he remains in office”declared the former Dutch F1 driver to the sports supplement of the British newspaper Daily Mail, hours after his son’s victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first round of the season.
“The team risks tearing itself apart. It can’t continue like this. It’s going to explode,” said Jos Verstappen.
“He plays the victim when he is the one at the root of the problems,” he concluded regarding the historic boss of the Red Bull team.
On Wednesday, the Austrian firm announced that its internal investigation had led it to absolve the British Christian Horner of the reported facts.
While several teams pointed out the lack of transparency during the internal investigation, Horner assured Thursday that the unity in his team “has never been stronger”.
But the sending shortly after of an anonymous email, which contained in particular WhatsApp messages supposedly written by Horner, to journalists specialized in F1, to those responsible for motor sport or even to the competing teams, relaunched the case.
This began at the beginning of February, in a first article published in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
When asked by the Daily Mail about the origin of the information leaked to the media, Jos Verstappen denied any implication in this regard.
“That doesn’t make sense, why would I do something like that when Max is doing so well here?”he defended himself.
Christian Horner, married to the former Spice Girl Geri Halliwellpresent at his side on Saturday at the Shakir circuit, has always denied the facts and was convinced after the GP that his position was not at risk.
“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 assured the press.
This Sunday morning, in this context, it emerged that Toto Wolff, executive director of Mercedes, had a meeting with Jos Verstappen in the Bahrain paddock. When asked about the possibility of ‘Mad Max’ joining Mercedes in 2025, he replied: “Everything is possible”.
The next event in a category lacking intrigue will be next weekend on the very fast street circuit of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. Like this week, the race will be held on Saturday because Ramadan will begin on Sunday, the ninth month in the Hijra calendar, in which Muslims fast.
The step by step of the Horner case
The internal process, which was carried out by a specialist lawyer, included an interview with Horner on February 9, where he flatly denied all the accusations. Horner was accused of alleged abuse of power over an employee, but finally the explanations of the specialist who carried out the process convinced the bosses of the energy drink brand.
“The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner has been completed, and Red Bull can confirm that the complaint has been dismissed,” explains the F1 team’s statement. And he adds: “The complainant has the right to appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial. The investigation report is confidential and contains private information of the parties and third parties who collaborated in the investigation, for example. “We will not comment further out of respect for all involved. Red Bull will continue to strive to adhere to the highest standards in the workplace.”
Horner, along with Helmut Marko, one of the advisors of the Red Bull Racing team, were in mid-flight to Bahrain when the company issued the acquittal statement. Horner’s image was in the eye of the storm in recent weeks due to the continuous speculation that was made about him. Although the internal investigation declared him not guilty, the plaintiff can go to the ordinary courts because the Red Bull process (the content of which will be kept secret) has no judicial value.
The idea was that the case would remain private for Red Bull to be faced and resolved privately, without altering the team’s planning at the beginning of the season, but it became public once it was leaked in a journalistic article from the Dutch newspaper The Telegraaf.
Max Verstappen’s posture, different from his father
Max Verstappen had to speak about the case involving his Team Leader. It was on media day for Formula 1 prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“It doesn’t affect me. I’m very focused on the car’s performance and my own performance,” said the three-time champion. “It’s not my case and I don’t want to get involved in it. As a team, we believe in the process and we have to be aware. There is no need to shout from the rooftops, we have to be patient,” said the three-time world champion.
“I hope this is resolved quickly. The philosophy is that we have to work together to be successful, and we hope to get that result quickly. I have faith in the process. And apart from that, when it comes to performing, it is very important that we are all together,” he added to close his point of view regarding the accusations suffered by the 50-year-old Briton.