Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko said the Formula 1 team cannot risk having their luck on the track ruined by unnecessary quarrels like that between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner. Fresh discussion of an internal political war within Red Bull erupted at the Austrian Grand Prix when Verstappen, father of driver Max, spoke out against Horner following the scandal over his participation in the Legends Parade. phone.
Verstappen spoke to the Dutch media and said he was forced to pull out of a planned test on the RB8 before the Austrian GP because he believed Horner was trying to block him. He told the website of Dutch magazine Formula 1: “I was completely bored with him. It looked like a kindergarten. I could drive, but I was withdrawn.
“I find Horner acting like that very childish. I think that says something about him.”
Horner himself later denied that there was any veto on his part on the matter and suggested that the Verstappen Sr. situation was untenable. does not worry him. “You can’t control everything in life,” he said. “I cannot control the relationship with the riders’ fathers, but I am focused on the riders’ performance and the performance of our team. And that’s where it will remain.”
But amid an increasingly bitter battle with McLaren for race wins, Marko has said that such friction cannot attract everyone’s attention.
Speaking to ServusTV , Marko said: “We actually decided to focus on sports and there were enough problems to deal with already. “But I will say that it [the debate] was a private matter between Jos and Christian, and [an issue] that really shouldn’t be about something as trivial as a show.” Marko said that with Red Bull’s advantage at the top of F1 having eroded in recent weeks, the team must focus on what is happening on the track.
“We must and will focus exclusively on this sport,” he said. “We have a very strong competitor in McLaren.” He added: “McLaren, at every track, at every temperature, on every tyre, is always quick right away. So it’s going to be a tough thing throughout the season.”
Wolff says Horner ‘stutters’
Jos Verstappen’s stance this weekend has once again sparked renewed chatter about the possibility of Max moving to another team at some point, even though the Dutchman has said he will stay Red Bull in 2025 . Horner has long insisted that he sees no danger in Verstappen leaving the team, despite suggestions from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff since the start of the season.
And he also believes that Verstappen’s move to Mercedes is just a “distraction” move by the German car manufacturer to divert attention from its own competitive situation. This is something Wolff has vehemently denied. Asked about Horner’s suggestion on this point during Friday’s press conference at the Red Bull Ring, Wolff told Sky Germany: “I didn’t even hear him say that. It’s stupid. He’s stuttering.” corn.”
Wolff said, when spotted talking to Jos in the paddock in Austria, that he had always got on well with Verstappens – but there were other factors that would come into the cockpit in the future. “There is always communication,” he said. We live in the same place and always get along. You can be nice to your neighbor but he still won’t drive your car.”
He added: “The most important thing is we look at our performance. I believe that if we have a fast car, fast drivers will want to drive with us. “We were three and a half tenths slower today. That’s why we have to improve, then we will also be a good landing spot for Max Verstappen. But right now we’re not fast enough.”
