With Ramadan beginning on Sunday, the organisers of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix managed to persuade Formula One to shift their race to the day before and so we start the 2024 season with two Saturday races. This means all the usual media events have been moved too with today being when the team bosses are called to the official FIA press conference.

With the current Red Bull saga rolling into the start of the season, Christian Horner managed to avoid being selected for the team principal press conference last time out in Bahrain. Yet inevitably he is listed as an attendee at today’s team boss media event alongside Bruno Famin (Alpine), Mike Krack (Aston Martin) and James Vowles (Williams).

 

 

 

Made fans the controversy flames

Horner had been accused and cleared of “controlling and inappropriate behaviour” towards a female colleague by an eight week process which began in January and was “rigorous” and “fair” according to the Red Bull team’s parent company statement issued before the Bahrain GP.

Yet since then an anonymous email was sent to 149 senior F1 personnel and media claiming to include damning documents gathered during the “independent” investigation causing a whole host of other questions to be directed at the longest standing F1 boss  as the Bahrain F1 weekend progressed.

It appeared as though Horner had ridden out the storm until after the chequered flag in the desert kingdom, Max Verstappen’s father Jos dropped a bombshell by claiming to assembled media that Christian should leave the team because it risked being “torn apart.”

The team countered this quickly stating the atmosphere trackside in the Red Bull garage was ‘unified’ in direct contradiction of Jos Verstappen’s claim. Max Verstappen had avoided being dragged into the affair but during a nine minute Jeddah media event yesterday, outside the Red Bull hospitality area, Max fanned the flames of controversy by backing his father 100%. When asked if he agreed with Jos assessment that the team was in crisis, Max replied: “I don’t know. I mean, I hope not. It shouldn’t be. It’s a strong company, strong team, a lot of strong team members, so normally not.”

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My dad “is not a liar” says Max

The F1 world champion was pressed on whether his father had any regrets after making the observations in Bahrain, Max candidly revealed: “I haven’t asked him that. I think from how I know him from when he was in go-karting, he was always very outspoken and is not a liar. That’s for sure. That’s from my side what I can say about things.”

Surely by insisting Jos is “not a liar” means Max believes his claims there team is being “torn apart” are true. The Dutch ace then goes further making it plain of his dad is excluded from the Red Bull garage he would leave the team.

“I was with him (Jos) until yesterday,” Verstappen said. “We speak all the time, we are a team. It’s me, my dad and Raymond all together, and that will always be like that also. But I guess he clearly felt like that.”

Horner and Jos are clearly on different sides of the fence with the Red Bull boss insisting he will carry on in his current £8m a year role running there F1 team.

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Verstappen Jnr sides with Jos

“It would be weird to be on a different side [from my dad], but from my side I just want to focus on the performance side of things and I just want to have less talk of what we are doing as a team outside of the track than the actual performance, which at the moment, we have a great car and we are looking forward to a great year,” Max concluded.

There is some ambiguity in Verstappen junior’s words as he suggests the “outside the track” talk is merely a distraction. Yet by backing his father’s right to speak and not being “a liar” gives authenticity to Jos explosive claims.

Of course Horner will have his chance today to address the situation which included an alleged confrontation between the two, caught on camera as he and Verstappen Snr gesticulated behind a pane of glass.

Most of the Red Bull F1 trackside team have remained tight lipped on the topic clearly having being briefed every word spoken on the matter will create an ever increasing number of headlines. But Max team mate Sergio Perez was not backward in coming forward and clearly believes Jos Verstappen’s comments do not reflect the reality within the team.

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Perez claims Jos comments untrue

Despite the Mexican driver consistently telling the assembled media his focus is on the racing this weekend, Checo gives the impression the matter has in fact been put to bed within the Red Bull F1 team.

“This is all behind us and we are the whole team,” said Perez. “We are a race team, at the end of the day. We’re here to race, to focus, and to deliver on track and off track doing the work with the team back home. You have to remember that. Red Bull is a huge team and our main focus is on the racing side, as simple as that.”

Perez disagrees fundamentally with Jos Verstappen’s claim the team is imploding. “I think right now when you see the results we just had, we finished with one, two, we started the season on the right foot. I think the team is working and there are things that we can tidy up on the race from Bahrain. It’s the main energy going on. 

“From my point of view, it’s basically what I’m focusing on, which is on improving what we did in Bahrain and that’s the main objective for us.”

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Checo givesHorner his ‘full support’

Sergio then goes further making it crystal clear Christian Horner has his full support to continue: “I think not only my support, I think the full team is fully behind him. He’s obviously a great guy. He’s a very important person in our organisation. The job that he’s done over the years speak for themselves. I think Christian is a key team player in this organisation. I think he’s fully focused on the racing side.”

Asked if he knew why Horner was being targeted in an apparent classic sting type ‘Kiss and Tell’ Perez refuses to speculate on whether the power struggle is coming from the Austrian contingent at Red Bull’s parent company.

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Perez repays Horner’s loyalty

“I can only speak for the racing side. I don’t know what’s going on other than that, to be honest. I don’t follow that much. At the end of the day, I’m a racing driver and it’s what I come here to do. I come here, I don’t get into politics. 

“I drive the car as quickly as I can, as fast as I can. I prepare the very best I can. Then I go home and I have a life out of the sport. That’s it. I’ve never been really part of what’s going on outside of the sport. So my main focus is to deliver on track.”

Having shown poor form in relation to Verstappen’s record breaking 2023 season, the questions as to when Red Bull would replace their failing driver were relentless. Yet Christian Horner insisted he would be racing for the team in 2024, week in and week out despite the pressure, and is now reaping the rewards for his loyalty to his number two driver.

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