Jos Verstappen will not be attending this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after openly demanding Christian Horner’s exit from Red Bull.
According to recent reports, Max Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen will not be attending the 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following remarks he made against under-fire Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
This decision comes in the wake of his controversial comments against the team principal and CEO concerning his recent investigation into allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by a female employee.
Although the independent investigation cleared the Red Bull team principal of any misconduct, the issue sparked more scrutiny after an email containing documents that are possibly pertinent to the probe was leaked to key figures in F1 including the FIA, Jos, and the other team principals on the grid.
Despite Horner’s continual denial of any misconduct throughout the investigation, a number of team principals and experts have demanded transparency, stressing the significance of revealing case details for more clarity.
With the controversy overshadowing Verstappen Jr’s win in the Bahrain Grand Prix, his father gave his views on the matter. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he claimed that if Horner held the team principal position for a longer period, the squad would be “torn apart.”
“There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position,” Jos said. “The team is in danger of being torn apart.
“It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
Horner disregarded Verstappen Sr.’s public demand for his exit, saying over the weekend that he had no plans to do so.
Less than 48 hours after making those remarks, Verstappen Sr. has opted not to attend the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, according to ESPN. The report continues by claiming that Verstappen Sr. was spotted having a “heated argument” with Horner the evening before the Bahrain Grand Prix, but later went back and issued an apology.
Jos has allegedly told those close to him that his son would leave Red Bull if Horner continued in his role. A dinner meeting between him and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was also reported to have happened before the race event.
Max’s dad has always been a regular presence on the F1 paddock through his son’s career, but he has made the decision not make the trip to the next race in Jeddah due to rising tensions within Red Bull amid the changing narrative.
Although he will not be there, talk regarding him will probably take up most of the time in the run-up to the second F1 race of the season.
On the other hand, Max has taken a more conservative approach lately in contrast to his father who has not held back. When he was questioned about the situation, he refrained from publicly supporting Horner.
“From my side, and I think what I can see also from the mechanics and the engineers, we are fully focused on the car and the performance here during the weekend,” the triple world champion said.
“And that’s how it should be, I think, and that’s what we continue to do, because it’s not our business. We’re not particularly involved in that.
“And we are here, we are paid to do our job, and that’s what we are doing and that’s also what we love doing. So that’s what we focus on.”
