After a brief period of calm, tensions have once again arisen between Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Max Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen. However, former Haas F1 boss Guenther Steiner believes that these squabbles have no bearing on the #1 driver’s mentality or driving on the track.
Verstappen Sr. was scheduled to be strapped into the 2012 RB8 as part of the Legends Parade at the Red Bull Ring during the Austrian GP weekend. However, the former Benetton driver backed out at the last moment. It was later revealed by Jos Verstappen himself that it was because he was tired of Horner trying to sabotage his planned run.
Referencing the fight and its possible impact on Max Verstappen, Steiner said on the Red Flags podcast, “I don’t think it does anything to Max [Verstappen] – his state of mind. Like having no friendship with Lando [Norris].
Steiner went on to explain that Formula 1 drivers don’t care about the noise around them when they have a race to compete in. He then also shed some light on what he feels the relationship between Horner and Verstappen Sr. is like.
Steiner highlighted that the duo have been at loggerheads for the last six months. Hence, he feels that they are already used to it. He likened their relationship to that of a married couple who often fight but move on quickly as well.
Steiner claims Red Bull is feeling the loss of Dietrich Mateschitz now more than before
Steiner, who was an acquaintance of the late Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, was also asked if the Austrian would have done things differently to manage the situation if he were alive today. To this, the Italian-American explained that Mateschitz would never had let the situation reach its boiling point.
Steiner explained that if Mateschitz was alive today, and this was unfolding before his eyes, he would have focused on calming the tensions immediately instead of letting them linger over. That being said, Red Bull find themselves in a period of massive uncertainty.
Jos Verstappen has withdrawn from driving the RB8 at Spielberg for the Legends Parade event
Jos: “Heard from several sources that Christian Horner did everything he could not to let me drive. Then I thought: say it to my face. I find it very disappointing.”
[@ErikvHaren] https://t.co/4wtAAp28tm
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) June 28, 2024
This entire saga culminated when Horner was accused of ‘inappropriate behavior’. These tensions then intensified when reports emerged that there was a power struggle within the team.
However, that has not been the end of the drama within the Red Bull camp this year. Adrian Newey announced that he will leave the team at the start of next year, and there are speculations that Max Verstappen could follow suit as well.
