Jos and Horner
In Austria Jos Verstappen was supposed to take part in the Legends Parade organised by the Red Bull Ring, but a new row with team principal Christian Horner – after the one in Bahrain – prevented Max’s father from going on the track. The inevitable trail of poisonous statements in the media.
In the name of the father
And even on Friday at the Silverstone GP, there were many references to what happened, especially from the other teams. Zak Brown McLaren’s driver launched a dig at the press conference: “Between financial regulations, sporting ones and various issues with the fathers, this is not a good way to race.” He immediately joined in Toto Wolff of Mercedes: “I find it unfortunate that they didn’t give a father the opportunity to ride in his son’s car“. Not a very accurate observation, given that Jos was supposed to drive a 2012 Red Bull in Zeltweg.
Helmut Marko tried to close the issue: “We have no problem with the fathers of the pilots.”
Max’s reply
Max Verstappen addressed the issue in an interview with Jonathan McEvoy of Daily Mail: “The way I grew up, these kinds of things don’t bother me. For me, they’re minor annoyances. I know how to focus on the race and how to perform at my best, even if things are happening around me,” he explained, with a not-so-veiled reference to his parents’ divorce when he was 9.
The Dutch champion then continued: “That said, it’s always nice to have a friendly environment around. At the beginning of the year everyone was talking about it (of the Horner case, ed.), but up until now the situation had definitely improved. Then came the Austrian race, but I’m confident that this will work out too. Sometimes you have to let some time pass and not get carried away by emotions.”
Verstappen then concluded: “I always look at performance, but also at the people around me and the working relationship I have with them. We are talking about teamwork. For us it is very important to keep the group together and for now it is like this. My father is certainly not going anywhere. He doesn’t come to every single GP anymore of course, because he has a family and he races in rallies. But we are a family, he has always been close to me and this will never change”.
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