- Jos Verstappen accused Horner of “playing the victim” and causing tension.
- Horner and his wife Geri Halliwell showed unity at Saturday’s Grand Prix
Red Bull boss Christian Horner faces fresh calls to resign amid a row over leaked explosive text messages.
Jos Verstappen, who manages his world champion son Max, said the current furore was “dividing the team” and added there was tension as long as Horner remained in his position.
Verstappen Sr., 51, further accused Horner of “playing the victim” while also being the cause of the problems, and said the team would “explode” if he refused to stand aside.
Horner watched his team take first and second place at Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, where he was seen hugging his wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, who put on a show of unity, despite having allegedly “read her the riot card”.
The 50-year-old driver was cleared following an investigation into alleged inappropriate behavior by the F1 team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, but new leaked messages emerged 24 hours later.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner faces fresh calls to resign over leaked messages after he was seen hugging wife Geri Halliwell at Saturday’s Grand Prix in Bahrain.
The Red Bull boss insisted he will “100 per cent” continue to lead the team in next week’s race in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Red Bull Formula One driver Max Verstappen celebrates his victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.
Horner stands behind his wife as Red Bull celebrates taking first and second place in the opening race of the season.
Jos Verstappen called for Horner’s resignation, saying the allegations were “dividing the team”.
Verstappen Sr. was seen on ‘multiple occasions’ with Mercedes Formula One team boss Toto Wolff
But Verstappen Sr. said the situation could not “continue like this” and was “not good for the team,” he said. Telegraph reported.
In a new blow for the Red Bull boss, Verstappen Sr. was spotted with Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff on Saturday.
The couple were photographed in Bahrain on “numerous occasions”, a sign that a possible move could be being considered.
Mercedes just lost a big name, as Lewis Hamilton will take to the track with Ferrari starting next year.
Wolff was one of the fierce critics of Red Bull’s parent company’s handling of the investigation and called for “greater transparency” in the investigation last week.
Saudi Arabia will host the second Formula One race of the season next Saturday.
Just a day after surviving an internal investigation into “controlling behaviour”, Horner was dealt a fresh blow after 79 screenshots of WhatsApp messages and images were leaked to journalists and Formula One officials.
The WhatsApp messages were sent from an anonymous email account to 149 members of the F1 paddock, including the sport’s governing body president Mohammed ben Sulayem, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and the other nine directors. of the gridiron team, as well as members of the media. .
Horner was cleared of wrongdoing in an internal investigation on Wednesday, before more WhatsApp messages and images emerged a day later.
Red Bull took first and second place in the Bahrain Grand Prix
The Red Bull boss refused to get involved in the new allegations and said he would not comment on speculation.
After Saturday’s success in Bahrain, he denied that his team was divided by speculation.
He said: “These types of results cannot be achieved if we are not united.”
The racing team boss insisted he would be “100 per cent” still in position when next week’s race in Jeddah started, adding: “Yes, absolutely.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here.’
