The ongoing turmoil surrounding Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner is causing disharmony, according to Jos Verstappen, the father of F1 champion Max Verstappen. Horner has been accused of inappropriate behavior and the situation escalated further when leaked messages purporting to involve him emerged. It is unclear whether these messages are genuine, but Jos Verstappen has denied being the source of the leak, stating that he has no interest in disrupting his son’s relationship with Red Bull. Despite Horner’s success with the team, there are reportedly internal tensions between Horner and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, as well as difficulties between the Thai owners and executives in Austria.
Max Verstappen has enjoyed a successful start to his F1 campaign, winning the Bahrain Grand Prix by a significant margin. However, prior to the race he was repeatedly asked whether he fully supported Horner and gave only tentative support each time. The controversy has dominated events surrounding the start of the F1 season, and there is clearly unease within Red Bull as to the future of the team principal. Horner has insisted that he is confident he will remain in his position for the entire season, despite the ongoing accusations against him.
The ownership structure of Red Bull is split, with 51% owned by the Yoovidhya family from Thailand, and 49% owned by Red Bull in Austria. This has led to tensions between the two sides, and currently there are major internal divisions between the Thai owners and the Austrian executives. In addition to this, there are also issues between Horner and Marko, which threaten to destabilize the entire Red Bull organization. Despite the controversy surrounding the team principal, Red Bull is riding high on the back of Max Verstappen’s success, and it remains to be seen whether the internal conflicts will have any impact on their future performances
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