Max Verstappen has labelled the feud between his father, Jos Verstappen, and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner as 'not nice' for anybody after the pair clashed ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen Snr had been asked to participate in a Legends Parade on Sunday ahead of the Austrian GP but went public to claim that Horner, with whom he has clashed on multiple occasions in 2024, attempted to stop him from driving.
Giving his thoughts on the matter after his sprint race win on Saturday, Verstappen Jnr said: "Naturally, of course it's not nice. Not for myself, not for my dad, not Christian, not for the team.
"Of course, you don't want these things to happen. My dad has been quite clear about the reason behind it and of course, I can understand his opinion on it.
"Because at the end of the day, he gets asked to drive the car, finds out he's not wanted to drive the car. My dad doesn't actually care about driving the car, but he got asked 'Please, do it for the Dutch fans?' Red Bull, we have a great relationship with, home track. So I understand."
For his part, Horner denied having any involvement in the matter. The team principal has attracted the ire of Verstappen Snr on multiple occasions this season and was even told to walk away from his role if he cared about the success of Red Bull.
"I've been made aware," he explained. "The legends parade is something that is organised by the circuit. There was no veto from my side or anything like that and I'm sure the legends will be in action later."
Thankfully for Verstappen, the off-track distractions have not impacted his on-track performances. The Dutchman fended off attacks from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to win the sprint race on Saturday, extending his winning run.
