Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull

Horner Red Bull AXE admission made amid Verstappen relationship update

Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner have been feuding since the start of 2024

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 16 February 2025 17:00 Updated: 20:33

Jos Verstappen has offered insight into the Red Bull feud between himself and team principal Christian Horner.

Horner was under immense pressure to keep his job in 2024, after accusations of alleged inappropriate behaviour against a female colleague arose, prompting an internal investigation into the Brit's conduct.

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The investigation cleared Horner of any wrongdoing, but a number of key Formula 1 figures called for him to step down, including Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen, who publicly engaged in a row with the team principal.

The Verstappens share a close relationship, leaving the 27-year-old star driver in an awkward position where he was forced to fend off questions about where his loyalties lie, with his boss or with his father.

Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner have been feuding since the start of 2024

Max Verstappen is now a four-time world champion

Verstappen's Horner feud

Verstappen junior's future was also called into question at times, particularly when Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko's position within the team was seemingly under threat.

Verstappen's father Jos recently provided an update on how his son managed to maintain both relationships during the feud between Horner and his father, praising the Dutchman's maturity in the process.

Despite the turmoil surrounding Red Bull at the time and a clear performance drop in the RB20 that led Verstappen to endure a 10-race winless streak, the 27-year-old still managed to secure the title, fending off Lando Norris.

"Of course, everyone knows what happened," Verstappen senior told Het Laatste Nieuws. "And yes, at a certain point I said that Horner had to go.

"That wasn't easy for Max: on the one hand not to let his father down and on the other hand making sure that the team kept functioning, but he cycled swiftly through everything. You just have to do it. That's maturity: feeling how to deal with things."

Speaking on his relationship with his son, and how the four-time champion is at home, Jos Verstappen said: "If you compare me to Max, you can say anything. You're right, I would have been rammed into it. Max also has a lot of Sophie (his mother). That gentle nature, the sweetness, yes, that 'good' side.

"I know you don't always see that on the circuit, but as a person Max is very gentle. Isn't it nice that he got the best from his parents? He got that fierceness, that drive from me, as soon as he puts on his helmet, he turns into a lion. That was already the case in karting, when he was still a child. He got that gentle nature from Sophie, at home he's a teddy bear."

NASCAR Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Daytona 500 Jos Verstappen