Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has claimed that Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner were involved in a heated altercation in the Red Bull camp shortly before the latter parted ways with the team.
The British chief was dismissed by the six-time Constructors’ Champions after two decades of service, during which he oversaw multiple title-winning campaigns at the helm of the Austrian outfit.
Horner’s exit came 18 months after he was accused — and twice cleared — of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour by a female employee.
However, his departure is believed to result from a combination of factors, including the team’s recent performance decline, diminishing trust from the Verstappen camp amid Mercedes rumours and questionable decisions made with regards to the second driver.
Amid all this, Verstappen Sr maintained that Horner should have been removed much earlier, with the controversy fueling significant unrest within the team.
In the aftermath of the sacking, Schumacher revealed how he allegedly witnessed a heated exchange involving Verstappen, Horner, and Red Bull’s press officer just days before.
“There was another argument or a heated exchange, at least visually and verbally between Jos Verstappen, Christian Horner and the press officer,” he told the Boxengasse podcast.
“He can’t really deal with criticism. [Sky Sports Germany] are, or I am, now, on a so-called black list, so he no longer talks to us or with me and such.
“It’s actually a joke, because a man who has won so much should actually be able to discuss it in front of the camera.”
Schumacher also described Horner as “a bit of a difficult person” who “failed to keep the team together well.”
The story behind Horner and Verstappen Sr’s fallout
The tension between Horner and Verstappen Sr started during the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
The dispute took a more personal turn ahead of last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, when Verstappen Sr withdrew from a planned parade of historic F1 cars after learning that Horner had tried to block his participation.
His son weighed in on the incident, calling the situation “not nice, not for myself, not for my dad, not for Christian, not for the team”.
“My dad has been quite clear about the reason behind it. Of course, I can understand his opinion on that, because he got asked to drive the car, then finds out he’s not wanted to drive the car.
“My dad actually doesn’t care about driving the car, but he got asked and [Red Bull Austria] said: ‘Please do it for the fans – Dutch fans, blah, blah, blah’. Red Bull have a great relationship with [the] home track. So I understand.
The incident highlighted the widening rift between Horner and the Verstappen camp, adding fuel to speculation about internal unrest within Red Bull.
Ultimately, Horner’s departure was seen as a move to restore stability and ensure the future success of the team around its championship-winning driver.
READ MORE – Ex-F1 champion claims Red Bull will ‘struggle’ in Christian Horner’s absence
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