Formula 1 News: Horner meets with media in Bahrain (Update)

An update to what we reported about Jos Verstappen below,  and his possible motive for wanting Horner fired.

More info on the type of character Jos Verstappen is – he beat his own father up, and Frans Verstappen came out publicly and totally disavowed him.

From 2017:

Marko confirms meeting with Verstappen grandfather
Apr.8 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has confirmed reports he met with Max Verstappen’s grandfather.

Amid the latest media report about a club brawl, Frans Verstappen – who is the father of Max’s dad Jos – told De Telegraaf newspaper that he sought out a meeting with the Red Bull chief.

“I took this step in Max’s interest,” Frans said, “because I fear for his career.

“The only thing I wanted to achieve was that Red Bull intervenes to protect Max from the constant misery caused by his father,” he added.

Marko, boss of Red Bull’s driver program, confirmed that the meeting took place.

He said: “I made it clear that Red Bull has a contract only with Max, and everything else that happens in the family is not our business.”

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner met with the media after the Bahrain GP, where his team had just given their rivals a thorough thumping.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The race was sweet revenge for Horner after unfriendly remarks were made about his personal situation by a rival team owner and a fellow team owner (his lapdog sidekick) on Thursday.

Operating under extreme media pressure, who were there to dig up as much dirt as they could on him, Horner politely answered their questions.

Much to the chagrin of the media who were hell-bent on seeing Horner fired over the anonymous dump of text messages he supposedly sent to a female associate, Horner had full support from Thai shareholders and his wife Geri Halliwell at the 2024 Bahrain GP.

Horner entered the F1 paddock with his wife on Sunday. He was also accompanied by 51% Thai shareholders of Red Bull, Chalerm Yoovidhya and Daranee Yoovidhya on the grid. They have 51% of the vote, and they love Horner, what he has done with the team and for the Red Bull brand.

As long as Horner has their 51% vote, he will remain boss of the Red Bull team, and that appears to be just the way it will remain.

Horner was asked if his wife’s and the Thai owners’ presence on the grid was a show of support, the Red Bull team boss replied:

“I’ve had tremendous support from within the team and within the company. So yes, it was a day of going racing about the start of the season and about starting the season in the best possible way. So the drivers did brilliantly, the team did brilliantly, and it was the best possible start for the team, for our partners, for our shareholders and everybody within the group.”

Asked if he was drawing a line on the controversy surrounding him, he replied:

“My focus is on racing, what people choose to write, is up to them. But my focus is very much, you know, coming out of this weekend is all on the next race in seven days’ time in Saudi Arabia.”

Asked how relieved it was to go racing after the controversy and drama of the weekend, Horner said:

“Well, it’s wonderful to be answering a racing question, but it’s what we’re here to do. It’’s why we’re all here, it’s to go racing.

“And I’m sorry that it wasn’t a more entertaining race for you today [a mock of the bias of British journalists who had to endure another race of their British drivers getting schooled by the Dutch wonder kid], but that is the result of the team doing its job and producing an incredible car.

“Now, we have a sample of one race, I have a feeling that the field is going to concertina in this year.”

“So I don’t think you can take anything for granted out of this one race on a specific surface, specific conditions, and I have a feeling that this season will be a lot more challenging on track than last season. But you know it’s the best possible start, and our minds are already thinking about five days’ time in Jeddah,” when practice begins on Thursday.

What is the real reason Jos Verstappen wants Horner to resign?

Horner has refused to say if the leaked messages are genuine.

“It cannot continue this way,” said former F1 driver Jos Verstappen.

“The situation is not good for the team and is driving people apart.”

Jos Verstappen told BBC Sport he had made the comments to the two newspapers after a falling out with Horner in Bahrain.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the senior Verstappen said:

“There is tension here while he remains in position.”

“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”

Asked if he was the one behind the leaked messages to the media, Jos told Dutch outlet De Limburger:

“The biggest nonsense! Why on earth would I do that? I only want one thing and that is for my son to be in a good place and can act in a calm environment. But instead, things are now on fire. This doesn’t help anyone, does it? Especially not Max.”

There is another rumor going around on social media, that says Jos Verstappen is romantically involved with this same woman Horner was allegedly sexting with, and that this is why he wants Horner fired. We have no idea whether there is any validity to that rumor, but if true, we would then know the motive for the leaked messages.

Jos Verstappen calling out Christian Horner. People know Jos’ history, right? Doesn’t mean Horner is perfect but being called out by that man is beyond hypocrisy.

From Wikipedia:

After a 1998 incident at a karting track in which a man suffered a fractured skull, Verstappen and his father, Frans, were found guilty in court of assault but were each given a five-year suspended jail sentence after reaching an out-of-court settlement with the victim.

In December 2008, with the couple effectively separated, Verstappen appeared in court in Tongeren, Belgium, charged with assaulting his wife, Sophie Kumpen. He was found not guilty of assault, but guilty of threatening Kumpen in text messages and of violating a previously issued restraining order. He was fined and sentenced to three months probational, suspended prison sentence.

On 29 November 2011, the media reported allegations that Verstappen had assaulted his ex-girlfriend; Verstappen claimed to only have had a discussion with her. In January 2012, he was arrested on attempted murder charges following accusations that he drove a car into his ex-girlfriend in Roermond, but released two weeks later after the charge was withdrawn. Verstappen and his ex-girlfriend, Kelly van der Waal, got back together and were married in 2014. They have one daughter, Blue Jaye, born in September 2014. They divorced on 2 June 2017.

The knives are always out in F1, and the Netflix Drive to Survive cameras are always rolling.