MAX VERSTAPPEN has sided with his dad in the bitter row that threatens to rip Red Bull apart.
Jos Verstappen claimed following his son’s win in Bahrain last week that Red Bull would “explode” if Christian Horner remained in charge.
Last week, Horner was cleared of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague following an internal investigation.
But the Red Bull boss was then plunged back into a crisis following an anonymous email leak of WhatsApp exchanges claiming to be evidence from the investigation.
Horner will be given a show of support on Thursday ahead of the Saudi GP from Red Bull‘s Austria HQ in the form of CEO Franz Watzlawick and Oliver Mintzlaff, who heads up the energy drink’s corporate projects and investments department.
However, Verstappen, who as a result of his dad’s row with Horner, has since been linked with a switch to Mercedes, said: “My dad is always very outspoken. He’s not a liar, that’s for sure.”
When asked further about his relationship with his father and manager, Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen says they will ALWAYS be by his side while he is racing in F1.
He added: “I don’t see myself in F1 without them by my side for sure.”
Verstappen is hoping that the situation now simmers down ahead of this week’s Saudi GP.
When asked about his dad’s comment that Red Bull could “explode”, Verstappen added: “I don’t know, I hope not! It shouldn’t be. It’s a strong company, it’s a strong team, a lot of strong team members, so normally not.
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“If you have arguments or not, there’s always things that can be worked out.
“Everyone is man enough and respectful enough to each other in that sense.
“I’ve also not also agreed with everything that happened, not talking about lately or whatever, just in general in F1.
“Sometimes it’s good to have a discussion about things. You might agree to disagree sometimes, that’s what happens in a relationship.
“It’s not about being isolated from it. I think you could see in Bahrain that it doesn’t affect the performance of the team.
“Ideally as a team, you wouldn’t like to have these moments, but it also shows that I think we are all focused on our job and that’s to perform on the track.”
Verstappen Snr is not at this week’s race and not scheduled to attend a race for a number of months.
However, his son has been left in the mess left in his wake and for the meantime will work with Horner as they look to retain their world titles.
However, Verstappen, 26, was coy on links with Mercedes – who are run by boss Toto Wolff, who is friends with Jos Verstappen.
When asked if he will see out his deal with Red Bull that runs until 2028 and worth £43m a year, he said: “That has always been the intention of signing.
“That’s why we signed so long to be here. And of course it’s about the performance of the car.
“Of course from 2026 onwards, that is a bit of a question mark with new regulations, but I knew that when I signed my contract.
“I also know what they have done for me in my career. The intention is of course absolutely to stay with this team,
“Because I really enjoy it and I’m really happy within the team, and as long as we perform, there is no reason to leave.”
However, when asked about the Mercedes possibility where he would replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton next season, he added: “Well the thing is, no-one would ever have realised or seen that Lewis would move to Ferrari.
“In my life, that’s not related to F1 or whatever, it’s just general life, you never know what happens or what comes around you, or what might influence you.
“So you can never say 100 percent that’s how it’s going to be. I approach my life like that, but I also don’t think about it too much.
“I’m very relaxed, very happy at the team, the performance is there, there’s no reason to leave.”
