FIA make contrasting Christian Horner and Max Verstappen call as duo set to face questions

FIA make contrasting Christian Horner and Max Verstappen call as duo set to face questions

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Stuart Ballard

By Stuart Ballard


Published: 06/03/2024

- 09:42

F1 drivers and team principals will address the media in press conference ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Only one Red Bull representative has been selected to for the FIA's official press conferences this week at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Red Bull enjoyed a perfect start to the new season in Bahrain with a one-two finish and Max Verstappen picking up where he left off from last season.


But their performance was overshadowed by the saga that has surrounded Christian Horner and the allegations he faced from a female employee.

The 50-year-old was cleared of any wrongdoing, but alleged leaked evidence purporting to be messages between the Red Bull chief and his accuser led to further scrutiny.

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen are set to face the media

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen are set to face the media

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Jos Verstappen also made headlines after the race when he was quoted as saying Horner's position is now "untenable" at Red Bull.

Wednesday is the first time both Horner and the three-time world champion will face the media since Verstappen Snr's comments.

However, there will be no Red Bull driver speaking at the press conference today.

The FIA have opted not to select Verstappen as one of the six drivers for the press conference this afternoon.

Lance Stroll, Charles Leclerc, Nico Hulkenberg, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas will be in the press conference at 2.30pm GMT.

The team principal press conference takes place on Thursday (3.30pm GMT) with Horner set to sit alongside Bruno Famin, Mike Krack and James Vowles.

Verstappen will still face questions at Red Bull's hospitality suite due to every driver's media duties.

It's been reported that Verstappen has been asked by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to publicly back Horner amid the ongoing controversy.

Verstappen was involved in the first driver's press conference of the season last week and he declined to give a clear answer on whether he supports Horner or not.

Max Verstappen will not be in the press conference today

Max Verstappen will not be in the press conference today

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“I do not want to get into that,” he said.

“Because it’s not my case anyway, and I don’t want to be involved with that.

"But as a team we do trust that process and we just have to be patient, because there’s no need to start saying things, start screaming things out loud. You have to be patient.”

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Red Bull will want the focus to shift on the weekend

Red Bull will want the focus to shift on the weekend

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Horner has attempted to shift the focus away from himself after what he described as an unpleasant period.

“Obviously, it's not been pleasant, some of the unwanted attention, but the focus is now very much on the cars,” he said.

“My focus has very much been on what's going on on track. And the result [of the Bahrain GP] I think demonstrates where the whole team's focus is. And we move onwards.”

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