Verstappen gives his opinion on the ongoing dispute within the Red Bull Formula 1 team.
Max Verstappen stated that the ongoing conflict between his father Jos and the head of the Red Bull Formula 1 team, Christian Horner, in Austria “could have been avoided”.
The latest point of contention between the two arises from Verstappen Sr’s claim that Horner tried to prevent him from driving in the annual Legends parade at the Red Bull Ring.
Verstappen Sr, who was initially scheduled to drive the 2012 RB8 but has since withdrawn, called Horner “immature” and also expressed that he was “tired” of his son’s boss.
However, Horner denied vetoing Verstappen Sr’s participation, stating that his relationship with Max was strong, despite rumors of a possible move to Mercedes.
Earlier this season, Verstappen Sr was firm in his stance that Horner’s continued leadership would “divide” the team, before the Red Bull boss was cleared of any wrongdoing.
When asked about the dispute between the two, Verstappen, who won the Austrian Sprint race and extended his championship lead, insisted that it should not have happened.
“Well, honestly, it’s not pleasant,” he admitted. “I don’t think it’s good for me, my dad, Christian, or the team.
“Obviously, you don’t want these things to happen. I think my dad was very clear about the reason for this.
“And, of course, I understand his perspective, because in the end, he was invited to drive the car and found out they didn’t want him to do it.
“Well, my dad doesn’t really care about driving the car, but he was invited and said, ‘please do it for the fans, Dutch fans and so on’.
We have a good relationship with Red Bull, it’s our home track. So I understand.”
“On the other hand, I am here to focus on performance.
“I want to have a good relationship with everyone. But certainly, this situation could have been avoided.”
