It has been revealed Christian Horner and Jos Verstappen had a heated argument at the British Grand Prix, just days before the former Red Bull team principal was sacked.
Former F1 driver and respected commentator Ralf Schumacher claims he personally witnessed what appeared as a verbal altercation between the former team and father to reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen at Silverstone.
The incident was not an isolated flare-up but the latest in a series of escalating tensions between Horner and Jos Verstappen. Their relationship had been strained since the beginning of the 2024 season, when Horner faced allegations of inappropriate conduct from a female Red Bull employee.
Although Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing following internal and external investigations, the episode left a residue of mistrust and division within the team.
Jos Verstappen had publicly warned that Red Bull was “in danger of being torn apart” if Horner remained at the helm, as reports of internal Red Bull power struggles reverberated throughout the paddock and the wider F1 community.
It was in this fraught atmosphere that Ralf Schumacher, speaking on the Boxengasse podcast, recounted witnessing a huge confrontation between Christian Horner and Jos Verstappen.
According to Schumacher, the altercation was not merely a private disagreement but a visibly heated exchange, involving raised voices and the presence of the Red Bull press officer who appeared to be attempting to defuse the situation.
Schumacher observed that Jos Verstappen was “anything but happy with the situation,” a sentiment that was palpable to those present in the Red Bull garage and media center.
“There was another argument or a heated exchange, at least visually and verbally, between Jos Verstappen, Christian Horner and the press officer,” the former F1 driver said.
“You could see that Jos was anything but happy with the situation.”
The British Grand Prix, always a marquee event on the F1 calendar, was already charged with tension for Red Bull Racing.
The team’s star driver Max Verstappen had secured pole position but ultimately finished a disappointing fifth, voicing persistent frustrations about the performance of the Red Bull car throughout the weekend.
Just two days after the British Grand Prix, Red Bull announced that Christian Horner was dismissed from his role as team principal, ending a 20-year tenure that had seen the team rise from midfield obscurity to the pinnacle of the sport.
The decision was swift and to many observers shocking in its finality as Laurent Mekies, previously team principal at Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls, was named as Horner’s immediate successor.
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Schumacher claims Horner failed to unite Red Bull
Speaking candidly about Horner’s approach to leadership, Ralf Schumacher didn’t mince words claiming the former team principal had lost control of the team.
“For me, Christian Horner is also a bit of a difficult person,” he said. “I have to say that. He just failed to keep the team together well, which is not always easy, of course.
“But I also think his behaviour now, I can only refer to myself, but he can’t really deal with criticism.”
Schumacher who did not shy away from criticizing Horner, also claimed that Horner alienated some members of the media and even some within his own organization.
He added: “We are, or I am, now, on a so-called black list, so he no longer talks to us or with me and such.
“It’s actually a joke because a man who has won so much should actually be able to discuss it in front of the camera.”
