In the midst of ongoing conflict at Red Bull, Max Verstappen states, “I think everyone knows that’s important to have peace in the team.” Christian Horner maintains the situation with his star driver is “absolutely fine,” but “you can never say never” about what the future holds.
Despite the ongoing turmoil at Red Bull, Max Verstappen has voiced the hope that “everyone keeps the peace” going forward.
Following the conclusion of the investigation into Christian Horner, which led to accusations against the team principal’s dismissal, Verstappen’s father, Jos, intensified attention on the internal situation at Red Bull a week later. The F1 world champion’s future at the team was also the subject of intense speculation at the Saudi Arabian GP.
Helmut Marko, the seasoned motorsport advisor who works directly for parent company Red Bull GmbH and is close to the Verstappens, hinted to the media last Friday at the event that he might be about to be suspended by the company or leave on his own, adding to the uncertainty.
After openly endorsing the 80-year-old and saying that he “has to stay,” Verstappen quickly went a step further and made it seem very clear that Marko’s ongoing participation in the squad was essential to his own.
However, Marko told reporters, when asked if he faced any ban, “No, no, no,” during a meeting with Red Bull GmbH chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff, who is in charge of the energy drink company’s sports initiatives, before of Saturday’s race. There was no legal foundation for someone to have this want or notion.”
After winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to maintain his perfect start to the new season, Verstappen was questioned about his comments from Friday and if, in the unlikely event that Marko left, he would actually leave even though it was highly likely he would win more world titles with them in the near future.
“I always said that what is most important is that we work together as a team and that everyone keeps the peace,” said Verstappen.
“And that’s what we, I think, all agree on within the team.
“So hopefully from now on, that is also fully the case.
“Everyone is trying to focus in the same direction. And I think the positive out of all this is that it didn’t hurt our performances. So it’s a very strong team.
“I think also mentally, what you can see from not only driver’s side, but also mechanics, engineers, everyone is there to do their job. And I think everyone, even when there is stuff going on or whatever, they’re just very focused on their job as they should be.”
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 shortly afterwards, Verstappen added: “I think everyone knows that it’s important to have peace in the team and just focus on the driving aspect and the performance aspect. So that’s what we try to do as a team.”
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