Christian Horner and Max Verstappen‘s father Jos were allegedly caught up in a heated exchange at the British Grand Prix just days before the former Red Bull team principal was dismissed, Ralf Schumacher has claimed.

Schumacher’s revelation follows news that a change within Red Bull’s ownership structure could have prompted Horner’s shock departure.

The 51-year-old had served in his role since the conception of the constructor in 2005, overseeing an unprecedented period of success that has taken in six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ championships.

But Horner’s reign at the top of Formula One began to unravel last February, when he became embroiled in a controversy which swept the paddock and the wider sporting world.

The 51-year-old was accused of sexual harassment and coercive and controlling behaviour by a female employee following the revelation of alleged sex texts sent by the Red Bull boss, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Haliwell.

He was twice cleared, initially after an internal investigation conducted by a lawyer, and then by another lawyer who dismissed the female employee’s appeal. Horner has strongly denied the claims.

Amid the developing scandal, fault lines emerged within the Red Bull camp, with Jos – an influential figure in the career of his four-time world champion son – openly calling for Horner to leave the set up, and telling Mail Sport that the team was ‘in danger of being torn apart’ as long as he continued in his role.

Jos Verstappen (left) is thought to have been caught up in a heated exchange with Christian Horner, according to Ralf Schumacher (right)

The pair were infamously spotted in a heated discussion at last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix

Horner was dismissed from his role at Red Bull after 20 years in charge at the constructor

Last year, Horner was embroiled in scandal after alleged sex texts emerged

While tensions gradually eased as Horner maintained his position and Verstappen captured a fourth world championship, Schumacher – a racing pundit and brother of F1 superstar Michael – claimed this week that they had not disappeared completely.

He claimed to have witnessed a tense moment between Horner and Verstappen at Silverstone last weekend, just days before his Red Bull dismissal.

‘There was another argument or a heated exchange, at least visually and verbally between Jos Verstappen, Christian Horner and the press officer,’ Schumacher told Boxengasse-podcast, via the Sun.

‘You could see that Jos was anything but happy with the situation.’

Schumacher added that he found Horner to be ‘a bit of a difficult person’ who had ‘failed to keep the team together well’ – while admitting also that doing so was a difficult task.

‘He can’t really deal with criticism,’ Schumacher continued. ‘(Sky Sports Germany) are, or I am, now, on a so-called black list, so he no longer talks to us or with me and such.

‘It’s actually a joke, because a man who has won so much should actually be able to discuss it in front of the camera.’

It’s not the first time the pair have butted heads in the paddock. In March 2024, Jos and Horner were previously seen in a fiery discussion at the Bahrain Grand Prix – when the sex texts controversy was at its peak – with the former seen storming out of the latter’s office ahead of the race.

Verstappen’s father eventually returned, and shook hands with Horner, but again had strong words for the team months later, after his son’s winless run was extended to five races at his home race, the Dutch Grand Prix.

‘Internally, you should hold a mirror up to yourself and not always gloss over everything,’ Jos told German outlet BILD. ‘It is time – if it is not already too late – to question ourselves.

Horner was previously embroiled in a controversial media storm that threatened to engulf the team as a whole

Horner is believed to have had the staunch backing of Thai owner Chalerm Yoovidhya

‘The good people are leaving the team. I’m very unhappy with what’s happening.’

‘Max won’t be satisfied with having a car like that. Now it’s up to Horner to get the team back on track.’

It later emerged the feuding pair – who reportedly ‘never saw eye to eye’ – were at loggerheads over the woman at the centre of the row who was also said to be a friend of Jos.

In the end the fate of the multi-millionaire racing boss – who led Red Bull to eight drivers’ and six constructors’ championship titles during 20 years at the helm – was sealed after the team hit the skids on the track.

One insider said: ‘Christian never truly recovered from the scandal but amid all the wranglings it was the failure to win races that unseated him. His position became untenable.’

The sex text scandal erupted at the start of last season ahead of the opening race in Bahrain on March 2 2024.

Days before the race an investigation by Red Bull’s parent company cleared Horner, 51, of sexual harassment and coercive and controlling behaviour following allegations by the junior colleague who is in her 40’s.

Within hours a cache of 79 WhatsApp screenshots featuring photographs and sexually suggestive messages allegedly sent by Horner to the woman were leaked anonymously to F1 bosses and media outlets.

The tranche of messages were made public as Horner’s Spice Girl wife Geri, 52, headed to the Grand Prix on a private jet.

She was said to have been left ‘heartbroken and humiliated’ by the allegations.

Meanwhile Jos Verstappen, 53, launched a furious outburst accusing Horner of ‘playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems’.

Jos, himself a former Grand Prix driver, said: ‘There is tension here while he remains in position.

‘The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode.’

MailOnline later revealed Jos had been spending time with the woman at the heart of the scandal while the messaging had been going on.

An insider told how the alleged exchanges had ‘caused a lot of anger between the men who never really saw eye to eye in the first place’.

The scandal appeared to have deflated like a punctured tyre after Verstappen won the race and went on to clinch his fourth successive title – largely due to his sensational performances in the first half of the season.

And Horner – who had always denied inappropriate behaviour – was exonerated for a second time after the original finding was upheld following an appeal.

It is understood he was interviewed for almost nine hours by an independent barrister during the subsequent investigation into the affair before again being cleared of any wrongdoing.

But the sexting row came amidst the ongoing infighting in the team which is said to have dated back to the death of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz aged 78 in 2022.

The Austrian-born billionaire hired Horner in 2005 after the company bought out the struggling Jaguar team.

Within five years, they became a front-runner and won its first title in 2010 with Sebastian Vettel.

After Meteschitz’ death, Horner reportedly never enjoyed the same relationship with other senior figures at the team’s parent company in Austria, including Dietrich’s son and heir Mark, who owns 49 per cent of the company, and Oliver Mintzlaff, the company’s managing director.

There were also claims that Horner had manoeuvred to increase his power base and had sought to oust Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s long-time motorsport adviser and a close friend of Dietrich’s.

According to Planet F1, documents filed to the Regional Court of Salzburg in Austria this May revealed that Chalerm Yoovidhya – the son of Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya and head of the Thai component of the company’s ownership – had his unique two percent stake deleted.

Chaleo and Austrian co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz each held a 49 per cent stake in the company, with Yoovidhya’s two per cent allowing for additional decision-making within the set-up.

Yoovidhya is believed to have been a key ally of Horner, and publicly threw his support behind his team principal amid the unfolding controversy last year.

Mark Mateschitz, who holds his father’s shares in the wake of his death in 2022, was thought to have withdrawn his support for the embattled team principal.

But the leader of the Austrian faction Mark Mateschitz (centre) was thought to be less sure

Incoming Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies is keen to impose his new vision on the team

But with the deletion of his stake, the two per cent has transferred to Swiss investment company Fides Trustees, ‘an independent boutique Trust company that strives to deliver excellent service combined with a prudent yet entrepreneurial approach to Trust and Corporate services’, as per its website.

With the Thai and Austrian ownership groups now equally weighted as stakeholders, this may have cleared a pathway for Horner’s dismissal.

Wholesale changes are thought to be afoot at the constructor, with news breaking on Thursday that alongside Horner, a number of his key allies within the team have been moved on.

Employees close to Horner and in some cases hired by the 51-year-old are set to go as incoming team principal Laurent Mekies seeks to stamp his own vision on the constructor.

Amid the ongoing tensions, senior figures quit the team including car design legend Adrian Newey.

He was followed by long-time sporting director Jonathan Wheatley before head of strategy Will Courtenay announced he too was switching teams.

Further rows followed over the team’s under performing second drivers which was dashing their hopes of winning further constructors’ championships.

Mexico’s Sergio Perez was lagging way behind Verstappen but was awarded a two-year contract last summer only to be dumped months later because of poor results – saddling Red Bull with a £15million bill to pay him off.

Horner and Marko are said to have clashed over the contract and supported different replacement drivers.

The team hired New Zealand rookie Liam Lawson but after just two races this season he was replaced by Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda.

He is currently slumped in a lowly 17th place in the drivers’ standings with just 10 points – while Verstappen is in third place with 165.

The Dutchman is 69 points behind leading driver Oscar Piastri and after a lowly fifth place finish at the British Grand Prix at the weekend, Horner and Verstappen’s father were seen having another heated exchange in the team garage.

Horner’s downfall comes at a time of huge speculation over Verstappen’s future at Red Bull.

The driver is said to have held talks with rivals Mercedes.

Horner gave an emotional farewell speech to staff at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, where he stressed that he will continue to be involved with the constructor, but admitted that the ‘baton’ is being ‘handed over’.

‘Yesterday I was informed by Red Bull that operationally I would no longer be involved with the business or the team moving forward from this gathering,’ Horner told his former employees.

‘I will still remain employed by the company but operationally the baton will be handed over.

An emotional Christian Horner broke down in tears as he waved goodbye to his Red Bull colleagues on Wednesday

The 51-year-old also hugged colleagues after they gave him a round of applause during speech

‘That obviously came as a shock to myself. What I have had time to do is reflect over the last 12 hours or so. And I wanted to stand in front of all of you and express my gratitude to each and every single member of the team that has given so much during the last 20-and-a-half years that I’ve been here.

‘When I arrived 20 years ago, with fewer grey hairs, I walked into a team and I didn’t know what to expect. But I was immediately welcomed and, in two run-down buildings, we started to build what became a powerhouse in Formula One. Watching and being part of this team has been the biggest privilege in my life.’

Mekies was described as being ‘more anonymous’ than Horner, stepping into the role after leading the constructor’s sister team Racing Bulls.

The 48-year-old has a limited time to prepare for his debut at the pit wall, with the Belgian Grand Prix just two weeks away.