Credits: IMAGO / Motorsport Images

Jos Verstappen confirmed rumors of a rift with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner earlier this week. The father of reigning champion, Max Verstappen, openly called out Horner for “playing the victim” and felt that he was causing more problems. Hours after the scathing allegation, BBC has confirmed Daily Mail’s claim that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem asked Max to back the Red Bull boss.

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Red Bull’s independent investigation “dismissed the grievance” against Horner in the lead-up to the season opener in Bahrain. However, many have raised questions over the transparency of the investigation. The e-mail claiming to be leaked WhatsApp chats between the Red Bull boss and the complainant has further complicated the matter.

As the controversy hogged the headlines throughout the remaining race weekend, Jos claimed it was further damaging the team. The former F1 driver said, “The situation is not good for the team and is driving people apart.”

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Amid all this chatter, Horner has continued to deny the allegations leveled against him. He maintained his innocence during the investigation and now has the support of his wife Geri as well. The former Spice Girl walked down the paddock, hand in hand with her husband on Saturday. When quizzed on the leaked messages, Horner refused to comment on “anonymous, speculative messages from an unknown source”.

Rival teams demand transparency in Christian Horner controversy

The controversy took another turn when F1 journalists confirmed receiving an anonymous e-mail attached with a link to a Google Drive link with 79 files. The e-mail claimed the files were screenshots of WhatsApp chat and other evidence presented by the complainant to the independent investigator. Recipients included FIA-accredited journalists and high-ranking F1 and FIA officials.

Before that, rumors suggested a power tussle to be at play with Horner and Jos in the middle of it all. As most of the information came through leaks accessed by the Dutch media, many believed the power tussle theory to be true. However, Verstappen Sr. trashed such claims but maintained his demand for Horner’s ouster.

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The saga has roped in rival teams’ bosses as well, particularly Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and McLaren’s Zak Brown. Both team bosses have questioned the transparency of the investigations. They have also called for the FIA and F1 to take steps to uphold the sport’s reputation over matters of such grave concern. As claims emerge over the FIA president asking Max Verstappen to back Christian Horner, will Brown and Wolff up the ante?