'No veto from my side' - Christian Horner’s bullish response to Jos Verstappen claim

Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner insists he did not “veto” Jos Verstappen’s planned run in the Austrian Grand Prix Legends Parade, reports Lewis Larkam in Austria. 

Tension between Horner and Max Verstappen’s father appears to have escalated after the latter claimed Horner had deliberately blocked his scheduled drive in the 2012 title-winning RB8 during Sunday’s Legends Parade at the Red Bull Ring.

Verstappen Sr accused Horner of being “childish”, telling Formule1.nl that he is “completely finished” with the Red Bull team principal.

Horner was quizzed on the reports in Dutch media during Friday’s FIA press conference in Austria.

“I’ve been made aware,” Horner said. “The Legends Parade is something that is organised by the circuit.

“There was no veto from my side or anything like that and I’m sure the Legends will be in action later.”

Horner, who had a falling out with Verstappen Sr at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, offered a cagey response when he was asked about the status of their relationship.

“The relationship with Max has always been very good, very strong. He’s a key part of our team,” Horner said. “He’s our driver, he’s the one that is important obviously to have a strong relationship with.

“I’ve never had an issue with any of our drivers’ fathers in the past. Whatever Jos’s issues are, I’ve really got nothing to comment on.”

He was then pushed on the importance of maintaining a good relationship with his star driver’s father.

“My interest is in the performance of the team,” Horner replied. “We have a wonderful team. We’ve got great drivers, in Max, we’ve got the best driver in the world.

“He came to our team as a young man, and he’s grown and grown in stature. He’s grown as a driver and as a human being. And I think the way he conducts himself, the way he works with the team is outstanding. And that is my key interest.

“It’s about the performance of the team. It’s about how the team works. And of course, we’ve enjoyed tremendous success. Despite the distractions of this year, we’ve still won 70% of the races, including two sprint races and seven poles. We lead both world championships.

“So yeah, you can’t control everything in life. I can’t control relationships with drivers’ fathers. But my focus is on the performance of our drivers, the performance of our team. That’s where it will all remain.”

When asked where the relationship went wrong, Horner simply said: “I don’t think it’s really helpful to continue talking on the topic of Jos.

“I think our focus is very much on Max. He’s our driver, he’s who we have a contract with, and he’s who we’re focused on trying to win this grand prix with.”