Max Verstappen could reportedly leave Red Bull if Christian Horner remains in his role.
The £8m-a-year Red Bull boss was the subject of an internal investigation for the past month after he was accused of “coercive behaviour” towards a female colleague, before he was cleared on Wednesday.
However, several messages purportedly between Horner and his accuser were leaked via anonymous email, adding more fury to the entire situation.
And according The TelegraphJos Verstappen, Max’s father, who publicly called for Horner to leave his position, has told friends that his son will leave Red Bull if necessary.
Speaking after the Bahrain Grand Prix, which Verstappen won, Jos exclusively told Mail Sport: “There is tension here as he stays in position.”
Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull, according to his father Jos Verstappen (right)
‘The team is in danger of disintegrating. It can’t continue as it is. It will explode. He’s playing the victim, when he’s the one causing the problems.’
Mail Sport revealed on Saturday how Michael Schumacher’s former team-mate Jos got into a huge row in Horner’s paddock office after qualifying on Friday night.
Verstappen, 51, walked out of the fiery meeting before returning to the room and reluctantly shaking hands.
According to his affiliates, Horner believes Verstappen Sr. has orchestrated a campaign to overthrow him over the past few weeks, implying that the Dutchman even had something to do with the email leak.
Verstappen denies the claims, saying: “That wouldn’t make sense.” Why would I do that when Max is doing so well here?
And the Telegraph report claims that over the weekend of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which Max won, Jos had been courting and speaking openly with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who is an enemy of Horner and has also apparently called for his head.
They were seen together on several occasions in full view of the rest of the F1 world, while Wolff and Jos were also said to be staying at The Four Seasons hotel and spending time together.
Rumors of their links come amid a turbulent time for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton leaving for Ferrari for the 2025 season meaning they have a vacant seat for next year.
Meanwhile, the current instability at Red Bull amid Horner’s future will only increase the rumors surrounding Verstappen’s future.
Wolff appeared to play down the rumors when asked about Bahrain, although he spoke very positively of the Dutchman.
“I think the driver will always choose the faster car,” Wolff said. ‘That’s what it’s fundamentally about. At the moment the Red Bull is the fastest car, so that will always be the priority in my opinion.
‘Max is in a different league, in a different galaxy. We just have to recognize his performance levels. The performance was extraordinary.”
