Max Verstappen's father Jos has launched a remarkable attack on Red Bull boss Christian Horner, saying the team is “at risk of being torn apart” if he remains team boss.
The younger Verstappen's victory in Bahrain on Saturday came after Horner was in the spotlight for weeks and a misconduct investigation was launched after a woman employed by the F1 team made a complaint about inappropriate behavior.
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Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of the racing team, dismissed this complaint on Wednesday.
An anonymous email containing messages purportedly related to the case was leaked to the media the following day, but Horner defiantly remained in his job.
Jos Verstappen, a former teammate of Michael Schumacher in the 1990s, has called on Horner to leave the team.
“There is tension here as long as he keeps his position,” Jos Verstappen told the Chron.
“The team is in danger of being torn apart. Things cannot continue as before. She will explode. He plays the victim even though he’s the one causing the problems.”
It is not known whether Verstappen's opinion is shared by his son, who is the clear favorite to win a fourth consecutive world title with the team this year.
The Horner saga intensified when Formula One arrived at the Bahrain paddock for pre-season testing a week before the first race of the year.
Rumors quickly spread that Jos Verstappen was involved in the story becoming so public.
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Verstappen told the Mail: “That wouldn’t make any sense. Why should I do that when Max is doing so well here?”
Horner himself refused to address the issue of someone clearly wanting him out of the team.
“I will not comment on what motives, whatever person, might do this,” he said, adding that he has full support within the racing team and the entire Red Bull company.
Jos Verstappen is not an employee of Red Bull Racing, but is almost an integral part of the team's F1 hospitality center at every race.