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The fallout from the Christian Horner texting debacle seems to have taken on a triangular shape after it was revealed that Jos Verstappen was ‘spending time’ with the woman at the heart of the Red Bull sexting scandal and became angry with Christian Horner when he started sending her suggestive messages.

The old green-eyed monster seems to be at the heart of Max Verstappen’s dad claiming he would “explode” if the team principal remained in his role.

Verstappen Snr claimed the “team is in danger of being torn apart” and would “explode” if Horner remained in his position – leading Horner to hold talks with Verstappen’s manager in a bid to de-escalate the tensions. The meeting supposedly took place without star driver Verstappen or his father Jos present. According to reports, it “went well.”

Horner and Verstappen Snr were seen in heated conversation in Red Bull’s hospitality lounge over the weekend so it’s perhaps best that Max’s father will not be attending this weekend’s race in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Instead, Jos will be competing in a rally event in Belgium.

Despite the men ‘never really seeing eye to eye in the first place’ their friendship with the third side of the supposed love triangle has ’caused even more difficulties.’ A Daily Mail source said that the relationship between ‘very suave’ Horner and ‘straight-talking and impulsive’ Verstappen is now pretty much broken following the scandal.

Sources have claimed that Jos had been friends with the female co-worker for at least three years when Horner entered the WhatsApp group. They were even said to have looked cosy together on a yacht in Abu Dhabi in November 2021, celebrating Red Bull’s victory at a Grand Prix where his son famously overtook Lewis Hamilton to win the World Drivers’ Championship.

‘It seems that Jos was spending time with her while Christian was texting her, which has caused a lot of anger between the men who never really saw eye to eye in the first place’, an insider said.

‘It’s causing a real headache for Red Bull to have the president and the father of the team’s star driver fighting.’

Jos’ son Max is also being dragged further into the battle for control at Red Bull.

He has refused on four occasions in press conferences over the past weekend to offer Horner unconditional backing. Insiders have said he is believed to be in general support of his father’s stance.

To add more fuel to the dumpster fire, Max is rumoured to be eyeing a driving partnership with Lewis Hamilton over at Ferrari if Horner holds on to his R192 million-a-year job. There is also an empty seat at Mercedes when Lewis leaves at the end of 2024. His father stoked the fire even more over the weekend when he was seen speaking to Mercedes’ boss Toto Wolff.

On the home front, Horner seems to, at least publicly, have the support of wife Gerri Halliwell after the two were seen looking ‘friendly’ this weekend. But these things have ripples, and the fortunes of some F1 teams might just be swayed over a love triangle between two 50-year-olds and a young blonde.

[source:independent&mailonline]