Max Verstappen secured pole position at the Austrian GP qualifying on Saturday, which became a topic his father Jos threw at Team Principal Christian Horner’s face. The former F1 driver claimed that Horner’s off-track antics will only fuel his son Max more.
“The more bullsh*t, the faster Max drives. That was the case in the past too,” said Jos to The Telegraph, as quoted by RacingNews365.
Jos was unhappy with Horner because certain reports stated that the latter prevented him from taking part in the legend’s parade in Spielberg on Saturday. His response only continued with the squabble that both have been part of from earlier this year.
Red Bull chief Helmut Marko, however, is sick of the entire ordeal. “Let’s forget that stupid story now,” the 81-year-old insisted. Instead, he wants to focus on Max, and how his brilliance led to yet another pole position.
| Jos Verstappen on Christian Horner:
“There is tension here while he remains in position.”
“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.”#F1 pic.twitter.com/4VD89VYq4l
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 3, 2024
As for Max, he feels that the entire situation between his father and Horner was avoidable. He said it wasn’t “nice” for anyone, but he only wants to focus on the performance side of things. It hasn’t yet, but the off-track drama could end up taking a toll on the three-time World Champion.
Max Verstappen- a world champion stuck in an unnecessary situation
Experts have started weighing in on the situation that has been developing within Red Bull, with Martin Brundle claiming it is all a bit unfair on Max. Believing the entire episode to be “petulant and unnecessary,” Brundle says that Verstappen Jr. will inevitably side with his father.
️ | Max on his father’s public criticism of Christian Horner
“I guess [Jos Verstappen] clearly felt like that. But from my side, it doesn’t matter being on one side or the other side.
As a son of my dad’s it would be weird to be on a different side [than him]. But I just… pic.twitter.com/RF0YmQhpzE
— RBR News (@redbulletin) March 6, 2024
The 3X world champion has enjoyed all of his success with Red Bull, and such incidents mar those memories. Furthermore, the virtuoso F1 presenter has a hard time believing that the issue holds such significance within the F1 world.
However, a panel over at F1 Maximaal thinks that such episodes are routine for the #1 driver. Having spent all of his life under the strict regime of Jos, the Red Bull driver is familiar with his antics. Thus, they conclude that Max Verstappen has a very “thick skin,” and his focus shall not be deterred by things happening around him.
