Max Verstappen's father, Jos, has opted not to attend the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend due to escalating tensions with Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner.
The decision comes following comments he made about the beleaguered Red Bull boss, as reported by ESPN.
Horner took center stage at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the season opener for F1, following the dismissal of allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him on Wednesday.
However, just 24 hours later, the 50-year-old faced renewed scrutiny when material claiming to be the alleged evidence in the investigation into his conduct was leaked to F1 team principals and members of the media from an anonymous email account.
Verstappen Sr, who engaged in a heated argument with Horner on Friday night before later apologizing, has cautioned that Red Bull will "explode" if the controversy is not resolved.
Speaking after his son's impressive victory in Bahrain, Verstappen shared with the Daily Mail:"There is tension here while he remains in position.
“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing problems.”
Verstappen Sr, who has refuted being the origin of the leaks, has also purportedly informed acquaintances that his son might depart from Red Bull if Horner persists in his position.
This has sparked conjecture that Verstappen could execute a remarkable move to Mercedes as a substitute for Lewis Hamilton, set to join Ferrari in 2025.
When asked if Verstappen could join Mercedes, team boss Toto Wolff replied: “Everything is possible.”
Speaking to media including Crash.net after Saturday night’s season opener, Horner stressed he was “absolutely” confident he would be in his role for the entire 2024 season.
"I've always been entirely confident that I would be here," he said.
"There was a full, lengthy internal process that was completed by an independent KC. And the grievance that was raised was dismissed. End of. Move on."