Ahead of Red Bull's flagship F1 event in Austria, the ongoing discord between Max Verstappen's father, Jos, and the team principal resurfaced dramatically.
Jos Verstappen, who remains heavily involved in his son Max's racing career, has openly criticized Christian Horner for allegedly undermining his role in a nostalgic 'legends' parade at the Red Bull Ring.
At 52 years of age, Verstappen claimed that Horner was organising to deliberately restrict TV coverage of his lap in a vintage Red Bull Formula 1 car amidst ongoing conflicts within the team's leadership and speculations about Max's potential move to Mercedes.
"I'm completely done with him," Verstappen senior expressed to Dutch journalists.
"There were supposed to be recordings, also with a drone, but Horner didn't want me to be filmed in Red Bull kit and colours. And I heard from several sides that Horner did everything to not let me drive. How childish can you be? It's like being in a playground.
"Then I think, 'Say it to my face'. But it says something about him, I think," Jos stated. "Eventually I would have been allowed to drive, but I refused."
Despite Jos's decision to withdraw, the event will still host former racers such as Gerhard Berger, David Coulthard, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Johnny Herbert.
Horner, on his part, refuted any claims of deliberately blocking Jos's participation.
"The legends parade is something that is organised by the circuit," he clarified. "There was no veto from my side or anything like that. And I'm sure the legends will be in action later."
Concerns grow that this strife could influence Max Verstappen to accept an existing and ongoing offer from Mercedes in the coming season.
However, Horner maintained, "The relationship with Max has always been very good, very strong. And he's our driver. He's the one that is important, obviously, to have a strong relationship with.
"I've never had an issue with any of our drivers' fathers in the past. And whatever Jos's issues are, I've really got nothing to comment on."
Red Bull's F1 advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, who has also experienced disagreements with Horner in 2024, emphasized the need for resolution between the two for the team's benefit.
"We have enough problems already, and we are solving them," Marko informed Sky Deutschland.
"McLaren is a strong competitor now and although we are in a comfortable lead, this is mainly because our competitors have been taking points from each other. But the situation is changing," he noted. "It seems that we now have only one opponent, which makes the task more difficult.
"I think this is a personal matter between Christian and Jos, and Max is in the main race, and that's the most important thing."
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