Red Bull’s stunning success on the track this year hasn’t stopped drama from swirling around the team behind the scenes.
Three-time world champion Max Verstappen is finally opening up about how he’s handled the team’s internal conflicts, including the very public tension between his father Jos and Team Principal Christian Horner.
The team has faced quite a year – key staff members leaving, an investigation into Horner, and plenty of media speculation about what’s really going on inside Red Bull.
“What has always been very important is that I had a good relationship with Christian and my dad,” Verstappen told BBC Sport.
It’s a tricky situation for the 26-year-old champion. His father Jos, a former F1 driver himself, has been a huge part of Max’s incredible success story. And he hasn’t exactly kept quiet about his opinions on Red Bull’s management.
But Max has stayed focused on what matters most – winning races.
“My dad of course thinks about me and has the best interests for me,” Verstappen explained. “He had his questions, but at the same time I was always very busy dealing with the performance of the car and trying to make that better.”
The young champion has taken on an unexpected role: peacemaker.
“When you have problems with each other, you’re not happy with something, you talk, you communicate, right?” he said. “That’s always way better than throwing something in the media.”
Rather than taking sides, Verstappen says he’s tried to be the voice of reason between his father and his boss.
“It was just speaking a bit of common sense to both of them,” he said.
The strategy seems to be working. According to Verstappen, things have settled down: “Everyone is normal now, everyone is dealing with it and focusing on the performance side of things.”
