Triple world champion Max Verstappen defended his outspoken father Jos on Wednesday but said it would take something “crazy” for him to leave Red Bull at the end of the season.
Jos, 52, has taken a stance against Red Bull boss Christian Horner and said at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix last week that the dominant team risked being torn apart if the Briton stayed in charge.
The comments came after an investigation by an independent barrister cleared Horner of allegations of misconduct made by a female employee.
Verstappen senior’s comments triggered fears that Verstappen, the star driver, could look elsewhere for the 2025 season.
Former champions Mercedes have a vacancy with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton signing for Ferrari in 2025, a move that took many by surprise.
“I’m just focusing on the driving bit and I think that is also the most important for the team right now,” Verstappen, 26, told reporters in Jeddah ahead of Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when asked if he agreed with his father.
“That’s also why we came here and that’s our main target and what we want to focus on you know, to not have this stuff going on race after race because that is not good for the team.”
Asked if he could see any circumstances where he might not be racing for Red Bull next year, the Dutch driver replied: “Things must go really crazy, I guess, but that’s not the target for everyone.”
Here's everything we know about Christian Horner's sexting scandal
Christian Horner, the team principal of the Red Bull F1 team, is being accused of “inappropriate, controlling behavior” following leaked allegedly salacious messages between him and a female employee.
Horner, who is married to former Spice Girl Gerri Halliwell, allegedly commented to the female employee that it would be good for her to stretch her legs in response to her stating it would be good for him to do so after a long flight, according to reports.
The leak, which was sent to nearly 200 people in a Google document, included nearly 80 images of screenshots with messages to the woman, including: “I keep thinking about Spanx” and “What’s underneath at the moment?”
Horner also allegedly asked the woman for selfies of her in pajamas, and one message referenced what the Daily Mail described as a “solo sex act.”
The employee reportedly asked Horner to stop and attempted to turn the tables by asking him how he would feel if his wife was doing the same thing with an employee, according to reports.
Red Bull Racing cleared Horner of any violations of misconduct following an internal probe.
“I won’t comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate, I have always denied the allegations,” Horner said Thursday in a statement.
Red Bull won 21 of 22 races last season with the most dominant car in the sport’s history.
Verstappen, who won 19 of them, started the latest campaign with a “grand slam” win of pole position, fastest lap and every lap led.
Verstappen said his father, a former F1 racer who was once a teammate of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, was not a liar and he had not asked him whether he regretted making the explosive comments.
“My dad, from how I know him in go-karting, is very outspoken and he is not a liar, that is for sure,” he added. “My dad and I are very close. We call every day.”
Verstappen senior is not scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
