Christian Horner was left off the guestlist for Jos Verstappen’s birthday dinner in Dubai this week, according to reports. The pair’s professional relationship is on the rocks after Verstappen, father of Red Bull star Max, called for Horner to step down during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
Horner and Verstappen Sr were also spotted in what appeared to be a heated exchange at the Bahrain International Circuit following an investigation into claims that the Red Bull boss behaved inappropriately towards a female colleague.
Red Bull GmbH cleared Horner, who denies the allegations, and dismissed the complaint. But WhatsApp messages and photos, allegedly from Horner to an unnamed person, were leaked to journalists the day after the verdict.
Jos Verstappen admitted he had seen the folder before publicly calling for Horner to step down as the boss of his son’s dominant F1 team for fear of it being ‘torn apart’.
The pair’s relationship was rumoured to be fiery even before the investigation into Horner was launched, but the events of the Bahrain Grand Prix appear to have buried any hopes of harmony between two hugely influential Red Bull figures.
According to Bild, Verstappen hosted a birthday dinner in Dubai this week. And while Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko was in attendance, the team’s boss was not.
The 80-year-old claims he ‘would be surprised’ if Mercedes had not scouted out a possible move for Verstappen, adding that he ‘would not stand in his way’ if he wished to seek a new challenge.
Red Bull did their talking on the track in Bahrain with an impressive one-two finish. Verstappen breezed to victory by a healthy margin, while team-mate Sergio Perez had a comparatively trickier time as he fought his way through to second.