Jos Verstappen to Miss the Saudi GP After Heated Argument With Christian Horner

The Christian Horner saga continues to unfold new subplots and the latest one involves Jos Verstappen. The father of reigning champion, Max Verstappen, commented on the allegations against Horner in an interview with Daily Mail. Jos cited that the effect of these allegations and the Red Bull boss still retaining his position is causing “tension” in the team. The latest development after those comments has come from an ESPN report. It suggests that Jos Verstappen won’t attend the Saudi Arabian GP happening this weekend from March 7 to 9.

The report highlighted that the 52-year-old was seen having a “heated argument” with Horner a night before the Bahrain GP. However, he later came to apologize too. Regardless, Verstappen Sr. is reportedly not in favor of the British team principal retaining his position at Red Bull Racing.

Fans and experts on Twitter (now X) have been constantly discussing the fallout between Max Verstappen’s father and Horner. Many were wondering whether the situation would escalate in Jeddah at the 2nd round of the 2024 season.

However, with the former Benetton driver set to miss attending the Saudi GP weekend, it seems like they would avoid any conversation. The reason behind his absence is reportedly a rallying event engagement that was pre-planned, unrelated to his Horner comments. Planet F1 reported that Jos will be racing in the Rallye de Hannut during the Jeddah race weekend.

Jos said that Horner is “playing the victim” and is the one “causing problems” for the team. Some reports and rumors have also sprouted up on how these differences between Verstappen’s father and the Red Bull boss may have on his future.

Verstappen Sr. was also seen in the paddock chatting with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. This gave rise to more rumors and speculations on social media on a different plane altogether. Some media reports have come out that Jos and Max Verstappen would look to move away from Red Bull amid this chaos of Horner’s allegations.

The Max Verstappen-Mercedes rumors amid Jos Verstappen’s tussle with Christian Horner

F1 social media always keeps the rumor mill on the driver market churning. Especially now after Lewis Hamilton announced to leave Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025, fans have been constantly discussing who will replace the seven-time champion. The vacant Mercedes seat has been a major point of speculation by the media too.

Latest media reports by Auto Motor und Sport and some others suggest that Max Verstappen may emerge as a hot choice for replacing Hamilton. The move may sound unlikely and bizarre, given Red Bull is miles clear of the Silver Arrows, but Hamilton’s bombshell Ferrari switch also seemed like the same.

After months of unrequited rumors, it finally came through within hours and the #44 driver jumped ship to Maranello. In Verstappen‘s case, from a competitive perspective, it doesn’t make any sense for him to leave Red Bull.

Still, the ugly saga going on at the Austrian team with Christian Horner is not something, one would want to stay associated with. So, these rumors of Dutchman to Mercedes may just be a powerplay move by the Verstappen camp. That doesn’t take away the fact that Toto Wolff would actually love to onboard the three-time champion.

Back in the day, the Mercedes boss highlighted how he regrets losing Verstappen to Red Bull. So, amid all the downfall the Brackley team has faced in the past few years, could Wolff look to bring in the 26-year-old as a beacon of fresh hope? The Austrian said, “Anything is possible”