Max Verstappen has defended his father Jos in his ongoing row with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, saying the current situation is far from ideal for himself or the team and his comments give him Victory in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint was overshadowed.
Verstappen’s father Jos accused Horner of childishness on Friday after he claimed the team principal had vetoed his decision to drive his 2012 Red Bull in this weekend’s Legends Parade at the Red Bull Ring. Verstappen Sr. was furious and said he was “completely fed up” with Horner.
The spat is the latest episode in an almost irreparably damaged relationship between the pair, which has been fractious and fractious since Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by a female colleague. Those claims were dismissed by an internal investigation, but Verstappen Sr., who is rumored to be involved in a plot to oust Horner, insists Horner should leave the team before he breaks it up.
Horner flatly denied on Friday that he vetoed Verstappen’s decision to drive for Red Bull. However Verstappen appeared to back his father’s version of events and said he believed the altercation was an unnecessary distraction.
“Of course it’s not good, it’s not good for myself, it’s not good for my father, it’s not good for Christian, it’s not good for the team. Of course you don’t want these things to happen,” he said. “My dad was already very aware of the reasoning behind it and I can certainly understand how he felt about it because at the end of the day he was asked to drive and found out he didn’t want to drive.”
“I’m here to focus on the performance side of things, so I want to have a good relationship with everyone. But of course, this situation could have been avoided.
Verstappen won the Austrian sprint, but the Red Bull driver had to contend with two McLarens – Oscar Piastri (second) and Lando Norris (third name) launched a fierce battle. Mercedes’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and sixth respectively, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was fifth.
Verstappen was pushed hard by Norris and McLaren in a series of races, and with victory at the Red Bull Ring he was once again reminded that his huge early-season advantage had all but disappeared.
This is Verstappen’s 10th sprint victory: following the 2021 British Grand Prix, 2022 Imola and Austrian Grand Prix, last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, Belgian Grand Prix, American Grand Prix and Brazilian Grand Prix, as well as the first few rounds of the Chinese Grand Prix this season. and after winning in Miami. He has criticized this form on several occasions but has shown excellent command since its introduction.
Verstappen maintained the lead into the first corner with help from Norris and Piastri, but the Dutchman was unable to open a gap on Norris, who attacked him with no lack of energy. By lap five, the Briton was following in Verstappen’s footsteps and passed him at Turn 3 to take the lead, but Verstappen immediately fought back and regained the position at Turn 4.
Verstappen complained of battery charging issues, but nonetheless, by lap 14 both McLarens had relaxed their tire pressures and were barely ahead of Piastri after suffering heavy impacts in the early laps. Two seconds.
Norris overtook Piastri but had no clear advantage over his teammate in terms of pace and the team failed to overtake the Australian while Verstappen extended his lead further Advantage. He had done enough to cross the line after 23 laps, 4.6 seconds ahead. The moment he slotted straight back into Norris proved absolutely crucial to another win, but it showed Sunday’s game was going to be a tight front-line battle.
With victory in the 100km sprint, Verstappen now leads Norris by 71 points in the world championship. Charles Leclerc finished third in the overall standings, finishing seventh for Ferrari, while Sergio Pérez finished eighth for Red Bull.
