Red Bull senior figure urges Christian Horner and Jos Verstappen to end their feud as McLaren’s title challenge heats up

Red Bull team advisor Helmut Matko claimed that Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner should end their war of words against each other during the Austrian GP this weekend. The former Dutch driver and the Brit have been feuding since the beginning of the season when the former attacked the latter on his alleged sexual misconduct allegations.

Heading into the Red Bull Ring, Max Verstappen's father was supposed to drive Sebastian Vettel's 2012 title-winning car in front of the fans in the Legends's Parade before the main race on Sunday.

However, ahead of the weekend, he was informed that he was dropped from the list and was replaced by former Red Bull and McLaren driver David Coulthard. Jos Verstappen did not appreciate being dropped off the parade and laid the blame on Christian Horner. While speaking to Formula 1, he said:

"I am completely done with him. It looks like a kindergarten. I could have driven, but I pulled out. I find this so childish of Horner. It says something about him, I think."

While Christian Horner refused any involvement and replied:

"The Legends Parade is something that is organized by the circuit. There was no veto from my side or anything like that."

The constant bickering between the two did not sit well with Marko, who advised the pair to end their feud as teams like McLaren have started to close on them on track. He told Servus TV (via Motorsport.com):

“We've actually decided to concentrate on the sporting side and have enough problems there to sort that out. But I will say is that it [the argument] is a private matter between Jos and Christian, and [one] that shouldn't really take place at all about such trivial matters as a show run.”

Red Bull driver gives his take on the feud between his father and Christian Horner.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen defended his father in the situation as he stated that it wasn't 'nice' that he got dropped from the parade.

In his post-Sprint press conference, the three-time world champion said:

"Well, I mean, actually, of course, it's not nice. I think not for myself, not for my dad, not for Christian, not for the team. Of course, you know, you don't want these things to happen."

While explaining his father's perspective, Verstappen pointed out that his "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, and finds out that he's not wanted to drive the car."

Despite the off-track excursions, Red Bull and Max Verstappen remained solid and focused on track as he claimed a hattrick of Sprint wins in Austria on Saturday.