Max Verstappen Says His Dad’s ‘Not a Liar’ Regarding Christian Horner Clash

Max Verstappen's father Jos isn't known for being quiet or flying under the radar. Still, even for someone with his reputation, his comments on the Christian Horner fiasco have unnecessarily put his Formula 1 champion son in a hard spot. Steering clear of any drama was no longer an option after Jos essentially threw a Molotov cocktail inside Red Bull Racing's motorhome last weekend, pointing the finger at Horner.

“The team is in danger of being torn apart," Jos told The Daily Mail. «It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.»

Max Verstappen addressed the media ahead of this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, opening up for the first time about Jos' heated clash with Horner in Bahrain. The young champ didn't comment on his father's purview that the team «will explode» if Horner remains in charge, but he quickly pointed out that he is «not a liar.»

“From when I was already in go-karting, he's always very outspoken. He's not a liar, that's for sure," said Verstappen. “But on the other hand, also, you know, I'm not the guy who likes to speak a lot about certain stuff. I just want to focus on the driving bit. And if there are any issues, we try to resolve them within the team.

“I think everyone is man enough and respectful enough to each other anyway, in that sense. I don’t always agree with everything that happened, just in general in F1, and that's why sometimes it's good to have a discussion about things," he added.

Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton, who is all too familiar with having parents involved in their kid's F1 career, was also questioned by the media about Verstappen's difficult position after his father's comments.

«I don't know the details of it so I don't know what he's basing these foundations off,» Hamilton told the media in regards to Jos' comment that Red Bull would explode. “But at the end of the day, he's not a part of the team, he's a parent and so that's just an opinion, but it's definitely not helpful [to Verstappen].”

Hamilton's father Anthony was deeply involved in the seven-time world champ's career, acting as his manager and advisor early on. Following misunderstandings