Jos Verstappen won’t attend F1 Saudi Arabian GP amid Christian Horner feud
Jos Verstappen, the father of F1 world champion Max, won't be present in Saudi Arabia amid tensions with Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
Max Verstappen’s father Jos will not be present at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix amid growing tensions with Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner.
ESPN initially reported that the father of the reigning F1 world champion would miss the second round of the season in Jeddah after comments he made about under-fire Red Bull boss Horner.
However, it has now emerged that Verstappen is due to miss the race because he is taking part in the Rallye de Hannut, an event that has been in his calendar for a long time.
Horner was the main focus of attention at the F1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against him were dismissed on Wednesday.
But the 50-year-old came under fresh scrutiny just 24 hours later when material purporting to be the alleged evidence in the investigation into his conduct was leaked to F1 team principals and members of the media from an anonymous email account.
Verstappen Sr, who was seen having a heated argument with Horner on Friday night before later apologising, has warned Red Bull will “explode” if the controversy is not resolved.
Speaking after his son’s dominant victory in Bahrain, Verstappen told the Daily Mail: "There is tension here while he remains in position.
“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing problems.”
Verstappen Sr, who has denied being the source of the leaks, has also reportedly told friends that his son could leave Red Bull if Horner remains in position.
This has prompted speculation that Verstappen could make a sensational switch to Mercedes as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who is joining Ferrari in 2025.
When asked if Verstappen could join Mercedes, team boss Toto Wolff replied: “Everything is possible.”
Speaking to media including Crash.net after Saturday night’s season opener, Horner stressed he was “absolutely” confident he would be in his role for the entire 2024 season.
"I've always been entirely confident that I would be here," he said.
"There was a full, lengthy internal process that was completed by an independent KC. And the grievance that was raised was dismissed. End of. Move on."
