Verstappen Snr relaunches attack on Horner – The 2024 Formula One season started in spectacular fashion. First up Lewis Hamilton announced he was moving to Ferrari before a wheel had turned in anger on track. Then Red Bull hit the news headlines as leaks from the parent company in Austria revealed Christian Horner was under investigation for “behaving inappropriately” with a female employee.

The news sparked a fierce reaction from Max Verstappen’s father who appeared to be siding with the Austrian directors who wanted to replace the Red Bull ream boss. Yet in stepped Thai majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya, who there his weight behind the embattled Horner making it plain he would remain with the team.

Verstappen Snr then embarked on a series of shocking public attacks on Christian Horner and was suspected of being involved in leaked revelations and documents sent anonymously to 150 senior paddock folk.

 

 

 

Verstappen Snr calls for Horner to go

“There is tension here while [Horner] remains in position,” Verstappen senior told the Mail Sport. “The team is in danger of being torn apart.

“It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He [Horner] is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems,” claimed the outspoken ex-F1 driver.

“All these things that are going on are having an influence on Max,” he told the Daily Mail ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Christian Horner and Jos Verstappen were pictured following the season opener in Bahrain having an animated conversation in the Red Bull hospitality facilities but when asked about the exchange, the Red Bull boss chose to play it down.

Leclerc warns Verstappen over driving standards

 

 

 

Red Bull boss ‘to draw a line’

“I spoke to Jos following the Grand Prix and obviously congratulated him on his son’s performance. I think it’s in everyone’s interests, collectively, that we’ve agreed to move on and focus on the future.

“We both have a vested interest in this on to get the best cars, the best out of him, he’s an outstanding talent and hopefully we can continue to provide him with a very competitive car.”

Just the following weekend in Jeddah, Jos scoffed when presented with Horner’s comments. “In the press conference Horner gave the other day it was all about him and his problems when we should be talking about Max, the car, his performance and the race.

“I’ve already said I think it is causing problems if he stays.“All these things that are going on are having an influence on Max,” reported the Mail.

CLASH: Martin Brundle v Elon Musk

 

 

 

Jos goes rallying more in 2024

Jos was absent significantly more from the Red Bull F1 garage at race weekends than in previous seasons, the official explanation given was that the ex-Benetton driver was increasing his commitment to competing in rally cars. Yet even as the media attention over the Red Bull mini civil war subsided, Jos chose to continue the spat, putting the boot into Horner when he was presented with the opportunity.

“I think it’s a bit too late for that now,” replied Verstappen Snr. “If that’s what he wants, fine, but I don’t think it will be possible. I don’t want to talk too much more as it will create problems.”

“But the most important thing for me is that Max is happy, that’s what counts for me, I just want him to be happy,” he concluded.

As reports from Red Bull emerged that Horner had been throughly investigated by an independent KC counsel and declared innocent of all the female’s accusations, Jos once again appeared irked coming out once again in opposition to Horner.

Newest hits out at Red Bull restrictions

 

 

 

Verstappen sympathises with ‘guilty’ female employee

“I sympathise with the woman, with all that she went through, but we will see what happens. Red Bull seem to know what they are doing with her, we will see. But I think it is for her to come out and see what happens.

“I’m not fully up to speed with what is happening with her,” revealed Jos. Yet as TJ13 revealed there were rumours in the Dutch media, that Verstappen Snr had engaged in some kind of liaison with the female employee in question, making sense of his vociferous attacks on the Red Bull team boss. Further, leaked documents from the investigation appeared to suggest the female had deliberately framed the Re Bull boss.

Following the summer break, matters were still simmering for Jos Verstappen as he watched Land Norris extended his son’s winless run to five weekends at Verstappen’s home race in the Netherlands.

Speaking to Bild, Jos frustrations remained plain to see as he suggested people were leaving the team because of Horner. “Internally, you should hold a mirror up to yourself and not always gloss over everything. ‘It is time – if it is not already too late – to question ourselves.

Horner outlines Lawson role with a warning

 

 

 

Autumn sees relaunch of Jos attacks on Horner

“The good people are leaving the team. I’m very unhappy with what’s happening.  Max won’t be satisfied with having a car like that. Now it’s up to Horner to get the team back on track,” he concluded.

With the announcement that long term Red bull team member Jonathan Wheatley was leaving to take up the team principal role at Audi, Jos was quick to take the opportunity to revive the spat with Horner.

“Yes, this is what I warned about. The team then says: ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter, we have someone else [to replace them].’”

“But it’s too many people now [leaving]. And Max gets questions about it every time and so on. So yeah, I think it’s just not good, what’s happening at the moment.” When asked about Horner’s approach, the Dutchman told the Mail: “He always glosses over it.”

Ferrari reveal Hamilton new engineer

 

 

 

Jos questions whether Red Bull can build a winning F1 car for 2025

With Max in the end romping to his fourth consecutive title, it would be reasonable to think Verstappen Snr would now let matters lie. 

Christian Horner recently outlined the approach the team is taking to build a challenger for this season, which is less “peaky” and has a “wider operating window” than its predecessor the RB20. However, Jos Verstappen believes the ability of the Red Bull team to build a winning car has been compromised fatally due to senior personnel leaving the team

“I think so,” now says Verstappen Snr when asked about the departures.  “As far as Newey is concerned, it’s a fact that the car didn’t improve when he left the team. The updates in particular no longer worked as desired.

“I’ve talked enough about the reasons why the team is in danger of falling apart. Let’s leave it at that. One thing is certain: Red Bull has a big task ahead of it in 2025,” said Jos in a not so coded re-launch of his accusations that Horner was causing the team to disintegrate.

Having won four consecutive driver titles and two constructors’ championships, Red Bull are clearly close the peak of their abilities. This makes it easy for naysayers to call their imminent fall, though as yet Christian Horner continues to prove even his fiercest critic wrong.

Verstappen names strongest teammate yet

 

 

 

Carlos Sainz remains Red Bull option says Horner

Red Bull Racing ended the Formula One 2024 season somewhat of a laughing stock in the paddock. The grim faced repeated backing of their driver Sergio Perez had seen the team relegated to just the third best constructor behind Ferrari and winners McLaren.

Perez scored a pitiful 21 points across the final ten race weekends of the year, leaving no doubt when the shareholders and team management sat down post season, the Mexican would be on his way out.

In a twist that a number of veteran F1 observers failed to predict, it was in fact Liam Lawson who was given the chance alongside Max for the start of this year, despite having been out qualified 6-0 by Tsunoda since his return replacing the struggling Daniel Ricciardo. The Japanese driver also scored double the points of his New Zealand team mate during that time, yet Dr. Helmut Marko explained he didn’t believe Yuki had the mental strength to race alongside Max… READ MORE