Max Verstappen and his father Jos met for dinner in Dubai last night and had lots of treats.
The pair flew from Bahrain to the land of skyscrapers, in Max's case en route to Saturday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and the next installment of Formula One's scariest soap opera, a blockbuster that won't die.
The focus of the plot is Christian Horner, the Red Bull team boss, who sent suggestive text messages to a colleague. Verstappen Sr. wants the 50-year-old Englishman gone, a fact he expressed publicly for the first time in these pages yesterday.
In a strident mood, he declared that the team, thrilled by the success of 13 World Cups in 19 years of its glittering existence, would “explode” if Horner didn't carry on. He accused him of playing the victim.
Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the potential consequences of an argument about whether the city isn't big enough for the two of them. Enter 26-year-old Max and the greatest rider of his time and possibly of all time.
The embattled Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was accompanied in Bahrain by his wife Geri
Jos Verstappen (right) claims Red Bull will “explode” if Horner stays as team boss
This leads to question marks over the future of Max Verstappen, who took victory in Bahrain
While Horner defiantly clings to his £8million-a-year job, Max is Jos' trump card in this high-stakes game. No team on the planet wants to do without the services of a driver who himself gilds the incomparable car of the best designer in Formula 1 history, Adrian Newey.
Yes, perhaps several riders currently competing could win a world championship in it, but none have been able to dominate as quickly and emphatically as the Dutch wizard. Who else could have won all but three races last season? Or achieve an unprecedented ten wins in a row? Or sharpen his elbows into razors when necessary in the heat of battle?
Probably not even Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion. For now and for the foreseeable future, Max is the best there is.
Jos, a former teammate of Michael Schumacher at Benetton, with whom the Verstappens vacationed when Max was a child, has a powerful negotiating tool.
But and here lies the fascinating mystery: What if Jos didn't get Horner's Head on a Plate: Would Max look elsewhere for imminent employment? Assumptions have already linked him to Mercedes. Hamilton is leaving the team at the end of the year to move to Ferrari for one last hurrah and free up a spot there.
Adding fuel to the rumor mill is the fact that Jos had dinner with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff last week before the opening race in Bahrain. It could have simply been a meeting of old friends, as Jos claims, although it must be emphasized that his relationship with Wolff deteriorated in 2021 when Max was in hospital as Hamilton claimed victory in the Grand Prix following their encounter in Copse of Great Britain celebrated.
Things went from bad to worse after the crucial race in Abu Dhabi when Verstappen left his bitter rival for the title behind on the final lap after the safety car was willfully withdrawn on a night that will never be forgotten.
Toto Wolff from Mercedes has caused a stir and called for transparency since the scandal became known
While relations have improved markedly over the past two years, it's hard to completely separate a Jos Toto dinner from the excitement at Red Bull, even with the prospect of Max leaving his racing home – so far a well-oiled example of near-misses. Perfection – taking advantage of your chances with a Mercedes team that is far from its once dominant peak is a long way off for now. To underline this: When Max won in Bahrain on Saturday, Mercedes' George Russell was 47 seconds behind and Hamilton was 50 seconds behind.
For the moment, joining the Silver Arrows seemed a foolish move, and one that could only be greeted with anger. It's the nuclear option.
There is also Max's Red Bull contract, which runs until 2028, although it is believed there are release clauses that could allow a move in 2026.
Verstappen Snr, who turns 52 today, will not be in Jeddah this week but will return to Belgium for a rally. His absence from the Formula 1 paddock is undoubtedly a relief for him after the tense stay in Bahrain, when the Red Bull hospitality unit was a seething theater of feigned camaraderie. The warring factions looked into each other's eyes and smiled. This could be because they didn't see the daggers coming when they turned away.
The most extravagant show of support came from Horner's Spice Girl wife Geri. She went with him to the paddock. They held hands and kissed. The celebrity couple console themselves with the belief that Horner is relatively safe unless a new piece of evidence or a leaked email emerges revealing a new set of complaints.
Horner and his wife Geri (left) publicly showed their unity despite his text message scandal
Horner has refused to comment on the possible motives of those responsible for passing on texts
One hope for Jos in wishing Horner away was that the sport's owners, Liberty Media under the guise of Formula One Management (FOM), and regulators, the FIA, would step in and investigate the claims themselves, or at least ask for it To see the allegations, an internal report prepared by a KC on behalf of Red Bull Racing's parent company, Red Bull GmbH, exonerated him last week. This seems unlikely. The FIA under President Mohammad Ben Sulayem is tacitly siding with Horner. FOM are silent and border on public invisibility.
Max's views are not explicitly known. It is assumed that he fundamentally supports his father's stance. Tellingly, he refused to offer Horner unconditional support four times in press conferences last weekend.
He simply stated that he thought his boss had done an excellent job in terms of performance. There was a hint of praise in his agreement.
Red Bull issued a statement in response to Jos' comments in Mail Sport last night, saying: “There are no issues here.” “The team is united and we are focused on racing.”
Which is somewhat believable even by the standards of recent days.