Surrounded on all sides, Netflix cameras hang just outside the media scrum, microphones overhead, and questions rain down on Max Verstappen: “Did he agree with his father’s view that Christian Horner should resign before Red Bull ‘exploded’?” “If forced to do so, would he follow his father away from the team?” and “Could he imagine himself in a Mercedes?” And so on etc.
This is where we are with this uneducational saga; He’s sitting in a paddock in Saudi Arabia, not a country known for its liberal attitude towards women, grilling a three-time world champion, talking not about cars or his hopes for this weekend’s races but about comments his father, his father, made. He explained that the team boss, who was cleared of allegations of controlling behavior towards his female colleague but whose private life is now the subject of gossip all over the world, has a colorful past in terms of the women in his own life. on.
Verstappen didn’t want this. The two most important people in his career put him in this position. However, he answered quickly asked questions as expected. In fact, he gave the performance of a champion.
Verstappen walked an extraordinarily fine line between supporting his father (refusing to betray the love and trust that clearly existed between them), while also not hanging on to his boss, ignoring (though not completely) his ties to Mercedes, and making it clear that he was very important. I was hoping we could all talk about racing again. If this whole Formula 1 thing doesn’t work out, maybe Verstappen can try his hand at diplomacy. There is not a single word that is easily associated with him in the past.
The session, which lasted just nine minutes but went on for much longer on the veranda just outside the Red Bull paddock house, was actually more interesting than Verstappen let on.
The main point he was trying to make was clearly that blood is thicker than water. Verstappen defended his father and insisted he was “not a liar”, but it was not entirely clear what he meant by this. He was probably defending his father’s right to say what he thought, to tell the truth, and not be accused of stirring up trouble.
He said that “they will always be a team” consisting of himself, his father and manager Raymond Vermeulen. This meant that he would always stand by his family if push came to shove. But he also refused to criticize Horner. Sources insist that their relationship is not over, and that’s what was clear from this interview.
Asked if he and Horner could be in the same team given the situation, Verstappen replied: “We are at the moment. I’ve seen a lot of stories about it and it was a bit strange to read them. But from my perspective, what I want is that it doesn’t matter who’s in the team, everyone should be in the team.” to have a quiet environment where he/she is happy to work.”
‘And it doesn’t matter who is or isn’t on the team.’ Was this a sign that Horner was indifferent to whether he survived or not? Probably not. But his main priority, he said, was to return to racing whether Horner stays or leaves, and whether the Red Bull team boss and his father bury the hatchet or not.
Verstappen is an uncomplicated name, according to those who know him best. He doesn’t enjoy politics. He just wants to compete and win. He knows his best chance of doing that for now is with Red Bull, who look to have a machine that will dominate this year and probably next year as well.
Therefore, reports linking him to Mercedes for 2025 are probably still a long shot. “My aim, of course, is to stay in this team because I really enjoy it and I’m really happy within the team. And yes, as long as we perform, there is no reason for us to leave.”
However, he also admitted that strange things had happened and stated that no one expected Lewis Hamilton to move to Ferrari until this happened.
It was billed as the latest in a series of crisis moments for Horner, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday but stayed in his hotel.
The next event will take place on Thursday when Horner faces the music again. Jos’ comments can expect similar questions about his position and whether the pair could be in the same team together.
At what point does the investigation stop? This is a question asked up and down the pitlane in Saudi Arabia. No one seems sure. We still don’t know if Horner’s accuser has appealed the verdict. Wednesday was billed in some circles as D-day for this appeal because it was five days after the verdict was dropped, the timeframe stipulated in labor law. However, it appears that five days have passed since you received the letter in writing, which could only have happened in the last few days. There are strong suspicions that he will appeal.
There are still rumors that new leaks may be coming. The feud between the Austrian group and Red Bull’s Thai majority shareholder, Chalerm Yoodivhya. Perhaps Oliver Mintzlaff, head of corporate projects at Red Bull GmbH, which oversees F1, can shed some light on this issue this week. Mintzlaff is expected to be in the race.
Maybe eventually they can all gather around a table and call a ceasefire. Torn between his father, team boss, sponsors and fans, Verstappen certainly seems to be hoping for that.
He expressed the possibility of peace emerging as follows: “Everybody in general, whether you have an argument or not, there are things that can be resolved.” “Everyone is man enough and respectful enough anyway. I just don’t always agree with everything that’s going on in F1 in general, and I haven’t been talking about it lately. This is where sometimes it’s good to argue. You can agree to disagree. That’s what happens in a relationship.”