As the dust settled on the Bahrain Grand Prix, there was only one F1 news story in town on Sunday as Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull’s three-time World Champion Max, broke rank and called for Christian Horner to go.
No time to waste with a story this big, so let’s dive straight into the day’s main headlines…
Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull’s triple World Champion Max Verstappen, has hit out at Christian Horner for playing the “victim” when he’s the “one causing the problems.”
He fears Red Bull are in “danger of being torn apart” as long as Horner remains in his position as team principal.
Red Bull were dominant in Bahrain on Saturday as Verstappen Jr began his title defence with a commanding victory from pole position, but tensions are still simmering behind the scenes at the reigning Constructors’ Champions.
Following the race on Saturday, PlanetF1.com’s man on the ground in Bahrain, Thomas Maher, witnessed an exchange between Verstappen Sr and Horner inside the front doors of Red Bull’s hospitality area in the paddock.
Footage has since emerged of the interaction, with Sky Italy posting a 19-second clip showing Verstappen in conversation with an animated Horner.
The pair shook hands before leaving the hospitality unit separately.
Helmut Marko is convinced Red Bull’s “strength and cohesion will remain intact” amid the team’s internal tensions.
If there is trouble inside Milton Keynes, there was no sign of it on track as the team secured their seventh one-two finish since the start of last season in Bahrain.
Marko was pleased that the team managed to “concentrate on the sport” in Sakhir.
Read more: Helmut Marko addresses Red Bull collapse fears as Christian Horner turmoil continues
Inter-team tensions within Red Bull have also spread to their junior team, where Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda were embroiled in the first team orders row of 2024 in Bahrain.
In-car footage showed Tsunoda coming close to colliding with his team-mate on the cooldown lap, with Ricciardo responding over team radio with some very choice words.
Biting his lip and trying to be “very sensible”, Ricciardo has put Tsunoda’s angry reaction down to “immaturity.”
Could the current situation at Red Bull ultimately end up leading Verstappen (the younger one) into the arms of Mercedes? It’s a compelling proposition.
Mercedes face a difficult choice when it comes to replacing Lewis Hamilton for 2025, with the team surely determined to replace Hamilton with the best driver they possibly can.
Toto Wolff was asked about the prospect of signing Verstappen over the Bahrain weekend.
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