14/07/2025 18:02
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle has accused Max Verstappen's camp
of "lobbing hand grenades" at Red Bull following the departure of
long-time team principal Christian Horner. It was announced last
week that Horner and Red Bull had parted ways after more than 20
years together, resulting in speculation as to why. One theory
raised is that Red Bull axed the Briton to ensure Verstappen
remains with the Milton Keynes-based outfit for 2026, instead of
switching to Mercedes. An official reason why Horner was axed is
yet to be released, with Brundle unsure for certain if the camp of
the four-time F1 champion was involved. However, Brundle does
believe the Dutchman's team has been causing problems, in
particular, his father, Jos. Former F1 driver Jos Verstappen spoke
out against Horner to the media on several occasions, insisting he
was not fit to lead Red Bull. Discussing if the Verstappen camp
played a role in Horner's exit, Brundle told the Sky F1 podcast: "I
don't know, but what's absolutely clear is that the Verstappen camp
have been lobbing in hand grenades for quite some months now, and
some of them have gone off, and it's been pretty relentless in that
respect. "And I think at times, Max's dad, Jos, has made it
absolutely clear that he thinks Christian shouldn't be leading the
company and leading the team. "So I would say yes, they've played
a key role in Christian's exit. But I say, unless you're in the
office behind closed doors, then you don't know for certain. "But
there are certain things I do know, and certain things I have seen
and heard that make me think they were pretty involved in this
decision."
