Sir Lewis Hamilton says Jos Verstappen’s comments on Red Bull boss Christian Horner are ‘definitely not helpful’.
The seven-time Formula 1 champion also warned Max Verstappen that working so closely with his dad can be ‘really difficult’ and a ‘thin line to walk’.
F1 has arrived in Saudi Arabia, but the Horner scandal continues to overshadow the sport, even after the team principal was cleared of allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’.
Texts and images supposedly between Horner and his accuser – a female employee of Red Bull – were leaked last week, but the 50-year-old is defiant he will remain in charge of the team he has run since its inception in 2005.
But this was before Jos publicly called for Horner, husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, to be sacked following the season opening race in Bahrain, claiming that Red Bull would ‘explode’ if he stayed.
Reigning champion Max says he doesn’t necessarily agree with his father’s comments but insisted that Verstappen Snr. is ‘not a liar’.
Hamilton has now weighed in on the matter, and is well-placed to comment having worked very closely with his own dad in the early years of his racing career before they went their separate ways.
‘I don’t know the details of it. So I don’t know what he’s basing these foundations off,’ Hamilton said when asked about Jos’ comments.
‘But at the end of the day, he’s not a part of the team, he’s a parent. And so that’s just an opinion, but it’s definitely not helpful.
‘I think it is a very thin line to walk. I think it’s also dependent on your relationship with your parent.
‘You meet some people who have a great relationship with their parents, and they’ve been amazing parents. And then you’ve got people that have had bad relationships.
‘So I don’t know about his [Verstappen’s] relationships. Obviously, you hear things here and there. But Max is a grown man, and he’s a champion, and I’m sure he can make his own decisions.
‘But I think in our world, as drivers, it’s very, very easy to be misled by people whispering in your ear, and perhaps not guiding you always the right way. I’m not saying it’s the case there, because they’re doing great.
