The consternation is evident on the other side of the world. Max Verstappen, Formula 1’s world drivers’ champion for three consecutive years and winner of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix last week, is so pleased with his exploits that he calls for silence.
And he’s not referring to the piercing 130-decibel sound coming out of his Red Bull Racing 20 car.
“What I need, and it doesn’t matter who is involved in the team, is to have a calm environment where everyone is happy to work,” Verstappen said Thursday in Jeddah ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Tie silencers to the media, embattled Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner, and even Verstappen’s father Jos. That would be for Mad Max.
A month ago, Red Bull Racing won a complaint from a worker alleging an out-of-place habit on the part of Horner, who is married to Geri Halliwell-Horner, formerly known as Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls. Red Bull Racing appealed to independent investigator King’s Counsel, who found no wrongdoing by Horner.
The woman who made the allegation was suspended with pay through Red Bull Racing on Thursday, as a direct result of the investigation, just before a news conference in Jeddah, where Horner said it was time to “move on” and focus on racing.
As for the allegations, he said: “Out of respect for the company and of course the party, we are all subject to the same restrictions. As much as I’d love to communicate it, I can’t, because of those privacy restrictions.
Case closed? Hardly.
Several media outlets have anonymously gained a batch of text messages purportedly between Horner and his accuser with the subject “Evidence from Christian Horner’s investigation. “None appear to be criminal in nature, but some may simply be inappropriate.
Horner believes the competition is taking advantage of the drama to break up with Red Bull Racing, which has dominated Formula 1 for several years. At least two executives from other groups have commented on the investigation into Horner’s behavior and the effect of the episode. in sport.
Mercedes’ Toto Wolff wanted to know the main points of the investigation and said: “If done in the right way, with transparency and rigour, we want to take a look at the effects and what it means for F1 and how we can be informed from it.
“F1 and the teams stand for inclusion, equality, fairness and diversity. And it’s not just about talking about it, he lives it every day. It’s not just about teamwork. It’s a challenge for the whole of F1.
Williams’ James Vowles took a stance, telling Bloomberg, “We all want to look in the mirror and make sure we’re asking the right questions internally and acting in a way we can only be proud of, not today, but in the next. “10 years.
Competitors can be expected to simply shoot. But Jos Verstappen, father of Red Bull Racing’s star driver and former Formula 1 champion driver, also spoke out against Horner.
“There will be tensions here as long as he remains in his position,” he told the Daily Mail after the Bahrain Grand Prix. “The equipment is in danger of tearing. It can’t go on like this. He plays the victim, when he is the one who reasons the problems.
The comment fuelled rumours that Max Verstappen would sign for Mercedes in 2025. However, this week he insisted that he intends to stay at Red Bull at least until his contract expires in 2029, as long as “the functionality is there”.
And, presumably, that the “atmosphere of calm” will be restored.
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