Jos Verstappen is no stranger to controversy himself. Photo: Getty Images/Qian Jun /d132ac1f-c73f-4799-94ef-940d63591f18.html?direct=true&id=d132ac1f-c73f-4799-94ef-940d63591f18' class='tmg-particle audio-player wrp-d132ac1f-c73f-4799-94ef-940d63 591f18' headline= 'Jos Verstappen: Abusive father convicted of assault now challenges Christian Horner' data-business-type='editorial' loading='eager' Scrolling='no' Frameborder='0'allow='web-share' style ='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: static; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; height: 32 pixels;'>
For several hours at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, key people in Christian Horner's turbulent world did their best to restore calm. First Geri's public show and then the leading figure of his professional life, Max Verstappen, took victory to show that he too was in touch. The usual scenes: the all-too-familiar sight of the Dutchman taking the podium to start the new season exactly where he left off in recent years.
Max Verstappen (left) and Christian Horner (right) celebrate victory in Bahrain Photo: Getty Images/Clive Rose
Behind the scenes, however, Father Jos was about to aim a flamethrower at the cooling fury. Verstappen Snr and Horner — the two figures who helped the star driver win three world championships in a row — have been at loggerheads since at least Friday. Witnesses recorded a heated conversation that evening in the Red Bull director's office in the paddock, prompting Jos to leave. He later returned to shake Horner's hand, but their relationship is now hopelessly broken after he became the most influential voice to voice his concerns publicly.
Jos Verstappen (right) spoke to Horner in the Red Bull director's office. Photo: Getty Images/Clive Rose
Red Bull, Verstappen said, would “explode” if the beleaguered Briton remained in position. «He's playing the victim when he's the one causing the problems,» added the 51-year-old driver.
For Horner and Red Bull, the intervention significantly raises the stakes as the star driver is forced to choose between the two most powerful figures in his career.
Verstappen, a former Formula One driver, manages his son's career alongside Raymond Vermeulen and was a Red Bull regular known for his keen eye for spotting talent.
However, the thrice-married father of five is no stranger to controversy himself. After a brawl on a karting track in 1998, Verstappen was sentenced by a Belgian court to five years in prison without jail time. «Verstappen was found guilty of fracturing the victim's skull,» assistant prosecutor Cedric Styck told Reuters in 2000.
Verstappen was reportedly given a three-month suspended sentence in 2008 for threatening Sophie Kumpen, Max's mother. , and violation of a previously issued restraining order.
In November 2011, Verstappen denied allegations that he assaulted an unnamed 24-year-old woman in a hotel room in Venlo, Holland. In January 2012, he was arrested for attempted murder after allegations he ran over his ex-girlfriend with a car in the Dutch town of Roermond. He was released after two weeks in prison when the charge was dropped due to lack of evidence.
However, in the eyes of his son, he is a hero. Verstappen competed in 107 Grands Prix, achieving two podium finishes and 17 championship points, qualifying sixth for the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix. But his greatest achievement is considered to be that he led his son Max to the top of the sport. «Max was my life's project,» he said in 2019. “I wanted to win with him, to become a champion. We had a common goal. I had more fun with Max than I did with my own career. Let's put it this way: I did more for Max's career than for my own.»
Jos Verstappen (right) with son Max (center) and Raymond Vermeulen (left) Photo: Getty Images/Bryn Lennon
Verstappen Jr. was close to tears in 2021 while paying tribute to his father after , as he controversially overtook Lewis Hamilton to win his first world title. “All the years we spent traveling for this goal, and then on the last lap it all came together,” he said. «This is crazy.»
Crying Max with his father after becoming world champion in 2021. Photo: Getty Images/Mark Thompson
The star pupil grew up with tough love. In 2012, when Max was just 15 years old, his father kicked him out of the van as punishment for a crash on the second lap of the World Karting Championship in Sarno, near Naples, Italy. They were returning home to Holland.
“I didn’t talk to him for six or seven days,” his father explained. “I knew what I was doing. I think it helped him and shaped him.”
With his son now enjoying greater influence at Red Bull thanks to his success on the track, even Horner's friends acknowledge the split in the camp. It was already known that there were internal tensions within Red Bull between Horner, the team principal, and the company's motorsport adviser, Helmut Marko. The Thai majority owners and executives at the Austrian headquarters are also known to be in divided camps.
Red Bull Thailand's majority shareholder Chalerm Yuvidhya (left) supported Horner (center) Photo: Getty Images/Kym Illman
Despite launching the attack, Verstappen has denied any involvement in the leak of text messages allegedly sent between Horner and the female complainant. which were sent via anonymous email last Thursday. Verstappen, who Telegraph Sport reported had a close relationship with the complainant, was seen meeting Horner on Thursday in their first public appearance together since the allegations first emerged.
Given the current row atmosphere of fear and hatred. At Red Bull, Verstappen's explanation is as plausible as any: «Why would I do this when Max is doing so well here?»
But will Verstappen and Horner continue to enjoy the same success in the same garage throughout the entire season? Now there will be much more controversy.
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