Coping With Loss

SPIELBERG, Austria -- Max Verstappen believes the latest war of words between his father, Jos, and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner could have been avoided, after he backed his father's version of events in a news conference on Saturday.

The dispute between the two, which has been rumbling on throughout the season, surfaced again at Red Bull's home race in Austria after Jos Verstappen claimed Horner blocked him from driving a 2012 Red Bull in the Legends' Parade at the circuit this weekend.

On Friday, Horner denied he had vetoed Jos Verstappen's appearance in the parade this weekend, but when Max Verstappen was asked about the dispute following Saturday's sprint race, he said the situation could have been avoided.

"Naturally of course it's not nice, I think not for myself, not for my dad, not for Christian, not for the team," Max Verstappen said. "Of course you don't want these things to happen.

"I think my dad has been quite clear about the reason behind it, and of course I can understand his opinion on that, because at the end of the day, he gets asked to drive the car, finds out that he's not wanted to drive the car, while my dad, he actually doesn't care about driving the car -- but he got asked and said please do it for the fans, Dutch fans, blah blah blah.

"Red Bull, we have a great relationship with, home track. So I understand. On the other hand, I'm here to focus on the performance side of things, so I want a good relationship with everyone.

"But of course this scenario could have been avoided, yep."

The relationship between Horner and Jos Verstappen broke down earlier this year after the Red Bull team principal was accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female colleague -- accusations Horner denied.

An internal investigation by Red Bull saw Horner cleared of wrongdoing, but in the aftermath Jos Verstappen said Horner's presence at the team risked it being "torn apart."

On Thursday, Max Verstappen confirmed he would remain at Red Bull next year despite persistent rumours he could leave for Mercedes as a result of the unrest.

The three-time champion currently has a contract with the team that runs until the end of 2028.