On the Wednesday of the GP Arabia interviews, the storm over the Red Bull team principal still holds sway. Super Max, however, continues along the line of maximum diplomacy
The fact that the engines will be restarted in a few hours seems to be the least of the interests of those waiting for the second weekend of the World Championship. In Jeddah, rather, we continue to talk about the Horner case and its corollaries, namely the rumors about the future of Max Verstappen who could be far from the dominant Red Bull after the harsh words of his father Jos addressed to the team principal. The rift that was initially only whispered about between the two different souls of the Milton Keynes team – the Austrian one who is with the world champion’s family and the Indonesian one, who has always supported Horner – became public knowledge with the interview that Verstappen senior gave granted to Daily Mail. And which for days has sounded like a sort of ultimatum to the other party. It is therefore inevitable for Super Max to subject himself to questions about the relationship between his father and the boss of the wall after the latest sensational implications.
DIPLOMACY TO THE MAX
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For his part, Verstappen Jr instead continues on the path of diplomacy already taken in Sakhir: “I’m just a driver and I don’t know anything about what happens at the top, but from my point of view I’m paid to focus on issues related to performance in machine. And that’s what I’ll stay focused on all weekend. Whatever was said in Bahrain by anyone, we must put it behind us now. I really hope I can have a quieter weekend here.” The reference to the controversy fueled by dad Jos’s interview seems obvious, but this does not mean that Max is turning his back on his biggest supporter: “I think he felt he was saying what he said, but as far as I’m concerned I have no interest in siding with one or the other”.
SUPPORT FOR JOS
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In reality, there is no lack of support for the father: “Seeing as I am his son, it would be strange for me to find myself in a different position (from his, ed.). But what I want now is just to be able to focus on the performance and talk as little as possible about the things that happen off the track. We have a great car and I want a great season. In general, regardless of whether there are arguments or not, I believe that things can always be put right. We are all quite adults and know each other. I, for example, have not always agreed in general with the choices of Formula 1 and this is why I think it was good to discuss it. One can then agree or not, but that’s how relationships go. My father? As I have known him since his go-karting days, I can say that he is a very straightforward guy. But he’s definitely not a liar”.