Jos Verstappen hints at the condition that would cause Max Verstappen's departure from Red Bull

Jos Verstappen has hinted that the reason Max Verstappen continues to be part of Red Bull because the team has the fastest car on the grid with performance levels continuing to be high, but if the team's performance were to dip, the driver would move out. The claim comes after Jos has been had an on-going back-and-forth with Christian Horner in the media throughout the F1 Austrian GP race weekend.

The recent spat between the two began when Jos Verstappen claimed that Christian Horner was responsible for him not taking part in a legends' parade. Max Verstappen's father was invited to take part in what was a legend's parade during the F1 Austrian GP weekend. He was supposed to drive the Red Bull RB8, the car with which Sebastian Vettel had won the title in 2011.

At the last minute, Jos Verstappen withdrew from the parade and spoke to multiple Dutch outlets claiming Christian Horner had a role to play in this. After Horner replied to Verstappen's claims during the team principal's press conference and refuted the claims, the reigning champion's father was seen making his way toward the Mercedes motorhome.

With rumors flying around about Max Verstappen possibly being in line to move to Mercedes, Jos Verstappen didn't do much to suppress those suggestions. The former F1 driver told Viaplay that until Red Bull is winning, Max will be a part of the team. He did, however, also hint that once that wasn't the case, Max would make his move. He said,

"He was sitting there when that was told and he shook his head. Then I just know it's OK. It's a little sad, but on the other hand, we'll forget about it, move on and it's about what's best for Max. I hope they build a car that wins for a long time. Then Max will be fine and I will do everything so he stays fine and is fine. But as soon as that is no longer the case, then I know what will happen."

Max Verstappen felt that the entire back-and-forth could have been avoided

Talking to the media about the entire back-and-forth between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner, Max Verstappen said on Saturday that this could have been avoided by both sides. The driver expressed that he understood why his father said what he said and also understood what had happened.

He also said that the focus during a race weekend has to be on the sporting side of things. He said,

“It’s not nice. I think not for myself, not for my dad, not for Christian or for the team. Because, you don’t want these things to happen. My dad has been quite clear about, you know, 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. Well, my dad actually doesn’t care about driving the car."

He added,

"But he got asked and said ‘Please, you know, do it for the fans, Dutch fans, blah blah, Red Bull, we have a great relationship with, home track.’ So I understand. At the other end, I’m here, of course, 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.”

The back-and-forth between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner is something that should concern Red Bull. Max Verstappen will always take the side of his father, and if this is what he has to contend with, he would perhaps rather move to a different team.