Max Verstappen Reveals How Christian Horner Drama Affected Him After 'Not Nice' Period

Alex Harrington | Jan 2, 2025

Nov 21, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) arrives before practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Formula One champion Max Verstappen has recently opened up about the turbulent period involving Christian Horner, the team principal at Red Bull Racing.

The drama arose from allegations of inappropriate behavior against Horner, which led to an investigation. This situation created tension within the team just as they were gearing up for the new racing season. Verstappen, reflecting on this time in the Viaplay documentary Lion Unleashed, described it as unpleasant for everyone involved. However, he admitted that the team's focus stayed on performance over anything else.

The situation began on February 5, 2024, when a female employee at Red Bull lodged complaints with the parent company Red Bull GmbH. She accused Horner of "inappropriate, controlling behavior." Red Bull acknowledged the seriousness of these allegations and launched a detailed internal investigation, conducted by an external independent lawyer. This investigation concluded on February 28, 2024, clearing Horner of any wrongdoing. Despite this clearance, the woman who made the allegations sought an appeal, but this, too, was dismissed after review by another independent King's Counsel in August 2024.

Throughout the investigation, the tension within the Red Bull Racing team was palpable. Max Verstappen acknowledged the distractions during this tumultuous time and reiterated the need for a quiet and harmonious workplace. The strain was further exacerbated by heated exchanges between Horner and Max's father, Jos Verstappen. Jos publicly called for Horner's resignation, leading to visibly animated discussions in the paddock.

Amid all the turmoil, the Formula One community paid close attention. Other team principals, including Mercedes' Toto Wolff, stressed the importance of transparency throughout the investigative process and highlighted the necessity for learning lessons from these experiences for the betterment of the sport.

Verstappen, despite the surrounding chaos, maintained a professional attitude. In the documentary, Max expressed his thoughts:

"Well, I think in general, for everyone in the team, it was not nice. But on the other hand, we are there for the performance side of things. That's what I get paid for as well. And you have to, you know, try and just put your mind to that."

He persistently refocused on improving the car with his engineers to keep winning races.

"We had a car that we wanted to work on and make better, and we wanted to, of course, arrive there and win the races," said Verstappen.

To him, the balance of managing stress while achieving success was crucial. Verstappen continued:

"Of course, it's there in the back of your mind. On the other hand, it's very important to just shift your focus to the engineers and work with them to try and be successful on track."

Jos Verstappen commented on his son's maturity during the crisis.

"I think he was very professional in that he didn't go into details or whatever. And he stood by the team, he stood by me, he stood by me and with everything, so he kept them all together and I think he handled it really professionally," he said.