Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen said the recent public spat between his father Jose Verstappen and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner during the Austrian Grand Prix was “not nice” and was “avoidable”.
But while this part of his reaction to the controversy was expected, the rest of his answer strongly suggests that he does not see both sides as equally responsible for what he clearly sees as an unnecessary distraction.
Verstappen accused Father Horner in the Dutch media of trying to keep him away from the “Parade of Legends” organized by Red Bull as part of the Austrian Grand Prix celebrations on its main circuit.
Horner denied exercising “a veto or anything like that” when asked about it at Friday's press conference, but – with Verstappen Sr. withdrawing of his own accord – his media appearance was punctuated by several answers that can only be interpreted as digs at his star driver's father.
This included the assertion that “legends will be involved later” – with the “anyway” perhaps omitted – and the suggestion that if rival Mercedes were desperate to sign Verstappen, Goss might be the one available.
Verstappen Jr was never going to accept something like this happening in the background.
Asked about it following his Austrian Grand Prix win, he said: “Of course, it's not nice. Not for myself, not for my parents, not for Christian, not for the team.”
“Of course, you don't want these things to happen.
“I think my father was very clear about why that was, and of course I can understand his opinion of that because at the end of the day, he's asked to drive a car, and he finds out he doesn't want to drive a car… well, my father actually, he doesn't care about driving a car but he was asked : “Please, do it for the fans, the Dutch fans, blah blah blah, Red Bull, we have a great relationship with, the home track…” So, I understand.
“On the other hand, I am here, of course, to focus on the performance aspect, so I want a good relationship with everyone.
“But of course this scenario could have been avoided.”
The fact that Max says he “can understand” Gus's position – and agrees with Gus's belief that he “doesn't want to drive the car” is noteworthy.
But it also fits into a broader pattern of Max's discomfort with off-track tensions that have dominated much of Red Bull's season.
He has largely maintained general neutrality in any potential conflicts with Red Bull, although he notably stepped in to put his foot down when there was talk of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko being pushed aside.
Marko, similarly, used his weekend appearance on Red Bull-run Servus TV to call for full focus on things happening on track in light of the McLaren challenge.
Verstappen Jr is likely to share that view too, given his tone before the weekend that he sees McLaren as a serious threat.
He described the MCL60 as “very strong” and “good all around”, especially in terms of tyre life compared to the Red Bull, and said of the RB20 that he wanted to see “a bit more speed” after it was “very slow” at the Spanish Grand Prix – despite winning it.
Red Bull looked a little stronger at the Red Bull Ring, but the outlook for its lead driver was unchanged by the sprint race in which he had to face a serious challenge from Lando Norris and required a bold re-pass to take the win.
And this weekend, Verstappen also confirmed to the media that he will remain at Red Bull in 2025. Even if that is taken as gospel – and some in the F1 paddock clearly don’t – it is unlikely that this will be his last chance to look for alternative work in the coming years if he so desires, even within the timeframe of his current contract.
So, Red Bull would be wise to ensure that its public messaging – whether it's on matters like this bizarre test dispute or bigger things – is in line with Max Verstappen's wishes.
