” prefer not to have these stories,” Max Verstappen said on staying at Red Bull, Christian Horner, and his father.
The world champion talks about handling the internal conflict at Red Bull, picking up lessons from errors, and putting performance first.
Richard Giles
Fri. May 24, 2024, at 8:00 a.m.
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Max Verstappen, a normally gregarious and erratic driver, appears stilted as he takes a breath and gathers his thoughts. It seems as though he is determining the boundaries of what he can and cannot say since he is aware that this season will be closer than ever to his comments
He remarks, almost regretfully, “The more I talk about it, the more people have to write.” You put it in writing, create a narrative around it, and people will start to notice minor details, which will snowball into a huge mess. Do you understand what I mean? I give you a narrative that might be translated into Dutch, Spanish, or any other language. The more I talk about it, the worse things get.
The Formula One world champion is obviously referring to the chaos that has surrounded him, Red Bull, and Christian Horner, the team’s principal, this season. It’s interesting to note that even this small acknowledgment of frustration suggests Verstappen has strayed from the path he and the team have taken since the controversy surrounding Horner started.
It has dominated the sport for months, surpassing Verstappen’s tremendous on-track authority. A female employee allegedly accused Horner of acting inappropriately, a charge he has consistently refuted. This information surfaced in February. An independent investigation dismissed a grievance procedure. She has also filed a complaint with the FIA, which oversees Formula One.
Seated in the team’s RV, Verstappen appears to be as laid-back and friendly as ever. The 26-year-old sees the publicity that surrounds Formula One (F1), including the TV, the media, and meeting sponsors, as a necessary evil that enables him to pursue his passion of racing. Even with the expected attention on the team’s activities this year, he is rarely sour when performing these tasks, although he admits the controversy surrounding Horner has not pleased him.
He states, “I would prefer not to have these stories, these things occurring within the team.” “All we can do is address it and move on. I have an obligation to the team to do my duties, so that’s what I’m concentrating on. I don’t enjoy being political, and I’m not a politician. I merely attempt to divert my attention from, say, the negative by concentrating on the performance with those around me.
