Jos Verstappen has been highly critical of Christian Horner this year. From the alleged sexual harassment controversy to Adrian Newey’s exit, Jos has had Horner as his target. However, Guenther Steiner sees this as a problem and claims that the former F1 driver not keeping mum could harm his son Max.
“We know that when Jos is frustrated, he can’t keep his mouth shut. I’m not criticizing him for that, but I don’t know if it’s the best thing for his son,” said Steiner as per GPBlog.
At the same time, he admitted that he is unaware of the internal politics at Red Bull. Thus, he couldn’t point out who’s right or wrong, but he believes Jos is an “intelligent man”, and would be knowing the “consequences of his statement.”
Horner and Jos reportedly never had a good relationship. However, when Horner came under investigation for alleged inappropriate behavior toward a Red Bull employee, tensions escalated. Jos even claimed that Horner would be the reason for Red Bull’s downfall.
No love lost between these two and the feud between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner goes on.#F1 pic.twitter.com/pJB2lAzR6O
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) October 3, 2024
Steiner advised both parties to resolve their conflict by arranging a meeting. The former Haas boss believes this would better support Max in his bid to win a fourth World Championship, for which he currently leads second-placed Lando Norris by 52 points.
While Jos and Horner were caught up in their dispute, it was Max who found it challenging to navigate the situation diplomatically. The Red Bull star defended his father but also described the entire episode as ‘not nice.’
The two camps at Red Bull
The persistent disagreements between Horner and Jos suggest that Red Bull has been divided into two camps. On one side are the Verstappens and Helmut Marko, while on the other stand Christian Horner and his loyalists.
There were also murmurs of Marko being sacked from Red Bull on Horner’s whim. However, Max standing up for Marko publicly possibly prevented that event.
It’s speculated that Horner is trying to strengthen his position within the team by getting closer to the Yoovidhya family- majority owners of Red Bull. Reports indicate that Horner met with Max’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, in March; however, Jos’ continuous jabs might have undermined those efforts.
With the title fight intensifying and only six races left, the rivalry between the two factions may cool temporarily. However, it could reignite dramatically if Max were to lose the championship.
