Jos Verstappen takes swipe at Christian Horner: “Everyone’s laughing again”

Jos Verstappen has taken a swipe at ex-Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner, claiming “everyone’s laughing again” under the team’s new management.

Horner was axed as Red Bull F1 boss in July, officially leaving the company last month.

The Briton was replaced by Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies.

Mekies’ arrival has coincided with Red Bull’s return to form since the summer shutdown.

Max Verstappen has won the last two races, dominating from pole position.

Verstappen’s performances have been reminiscent of his dominant run in 2023.

However, whether his form - and possible late-season title charge - can be sustained remains to be seen.

This weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix poses an entirely different challenge, with sweltering heat and high downforce required to be competitive.

Red Bull appear to be in a stronger position than earlier in the season, as Verstappen admitted after FP2 that only minor tweaks are needed to the car’s setup to close the gap to McLaren.

Jos praises Mekies

Jos’ relationship with Horner famously turned sour following the latter’s investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour at the start of the 2024 F1 season.

He suggested the scandal risked “ripping the team apart”.

Since then, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley have both left for rival teams, while Max’s own future was under scrutiny amid interest from Mercedes.

Speaking to RaceXpress, Jos praised the improved atmosphere within the team, labelling Mekies as “cheerful and friendly”.

“They clearly found something in Monza and they’ve continued that in Baku,” he said. “We’ll see what the future holds, but they’re very happy, and that’s great to see. 

“This is definitely something they’ve found with the car. The atmosphere in the team is good, and everyone’s laughing again.

“Of course, the results help. But it’s great to see that Mekies is getting things right so quickly. He’s cheerful and friendly, so it’s nice to see such a turnaround.”