Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, has reignited his feud with Christian Horner by accusing the Red Bull team principal of forcing him out of the team’s legends parade at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen Jnr revealed on Thursday that he is planning to stay with the team after his future had become a topic of debate ever since Horner was accused of cohesive and controlling behaviour by a colleague earlier this year, which he vehemently denied.
Horner, 50, was cleared by an internal investigation but the fallout saw Verstappen Snr speak out publicly against the Red Bull boss, claiming the Formula One team would “explode” if Horner kept his job. The pair were pictured having a heated discussion at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix back in March.
In his latest public swipe at Horner, Verstappen Snr has now accused Horner of cutting him out of Red Bull’s legends parade ahead of the team’s home grand prix in Austria this weekend, and has withdrawn from the event.
“In the past few days I’ve heard from several sides that Christian Horner did everything he could to not let me drive and otherwise to make sure that nothing would be filmed,” Verstappen Snr told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf. “Then I think, ‘say it to my face’. It doesn’t have to be this way for me, I find it very disappointing.”
The legends parade has become an annual event ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, which sees drivers take numerous famous cars around the track at the Red Bull Ring.
Verstappen, 52, who is a former Formula One driver himself, was reportedly scheduled to drive the RB8, the Red Bull car which powered Sebastian Vettel to his third of four consecutive drivers’ titles he won with the team.
Two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi and race winners David Coulthard, Johnny Herbert and Gerhard Berger are due to take part.
Source Agencies
