Christian Horner gets fresh Red Bull backing as Max Verstappen sent blunt message by team

The parent company have suspended the woman, although they insist it is not for raising the complaint, but for concerns over the veracity over the evidence she presented. Meanwhile Horner is still working and preparing for the Australian Grand Prix.

The mess came to a head in Bahrain a fortnight ago. Verstappen’s father Jos publicly called for Horner’s exit, while long-serving team adviser Helmut Marko also wants the Briton gone as his relationship with Horner has disintegrated.

For a while, it was believed that they had the backing of Red Bull chiefs in Austria, while Thai majority owner Chalerm Yoodivhya was protecting Horner. But we understand that the team principal now also has the backing of the other shareholders of the company following the outcome of the investigation.

That includes Austrian CEOs Franz Watzlawick, who runs the core energy drinks business, and Oliver Mintzlaff who is in charge of corporate projects, such as their F1 teams. And so strong is their support that, should it come to a situation where they feel forced to pick between Verstappen and Horner, they are ready to call the Dutchman’s bluff.

Sources say the driver’s manager Raymond Vermeulen has already been informed that the company is ready to drive it if it comes to it. And Marko has worked hard to create a situation where that might be necessary.

We understand the 80-year-old adviser, acting as a director of the company, late last year worked to have an ‘escape clause’ inserted into Verstappen’s deal which would release the racer from his contract if Marko leaves. It was supposedly done without the knowledge of anyone working for either the race team or the parent company, including Horner.

Verstappen has already publicly threatened to walk away from his contract, which runs until 2028, if Marko were to leave the company. And, though he stopped short of publicly agreeing with his father’s stance that Horner should be axed, the Dutchman insisted that Verstappen Snr is “not a liar”.

Red Bull desperately want an end to the civil war which has completely engulfed them and overshadowed their strong start to the new F1 season. It is understood talks this week between key leading figures have been positive and it may be the first step towards a truce.

The team, Horner, Marko and Verstappen’s father all have one common goal – to ensure the Dutch racer is a four-time world champion by the end of this year. A further incentive to their co-operation is their common enemy, Mercedes – especially as team principal Toto Wolff has been happy to stir the pot amid the ongoing crisis at their bitter rivals.