Lewis Hamilton has voiced his opinion on Jos Verstappen’s remarks about Red Bull’s leader, Christian Horner, labelling them as “definitely not helpful.”
The Mercedes driver also offered a piece of advice to Max Verstappen regarding the complexities of maintaining a professional relationship with his father, suggesting that it is a “really difficult” balance to achieve and likening it to a “thin line to walk.”
As Formula 1 gears up in Saudi Arabia, the controversy surrounding Horner persists, casting a shadow over the event despite his dismissal from charges of ‘inappropriate behaviour.’
The scandal was fueled by the circulation of texts and images allegedly shared between Horner and a female Red Bull employee.
Despite the turmoil, Horner, who has been at the helm of Red Bull since its foundation in 2005, stands firm in his leadership role, undeterred by the allegations.
When asked about Jos Verstappen’s comments, Hamilton said: I don’t know the details of it. So I don’t know what he’s basing these foundations off.’
‘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.
‘But I know in sports, other athletes that I’ve spoken to that I see, whether it’s in tennis, and I’ve experienced it, when you sometimes don’t have the right guidance around you, it leads to you either making the wrong decisions, or not being able to perhaps be the best at what you do.
‘But that’s obviously clearly not the case there, he’s performing well. So it is very difficult, because you want your parent to be your parent, and have a good relationship. But when business is involved, it makes it really difficult.’
