Max Verstappen took pole position on Friday for Saturday’s sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix after another public row between his father and ‘childish’ Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
The 26-year-old Dutchman defeated nearest rival Lando Norris of McLaren in the final seconds of a frantic session to take the top grid spot and delight hordes of his ‘orange army’ fans at the Red Bull Ring.
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His best lap in one minute and 4.686 seconds put him 0.093 seconds ahead of Norris in warm conditions in the Styrian Alps.
“It’s good to be the first here in front of all my home fans and in our home Grand Prix,” said Verstappen, who leads Norris by 69 points as he chases a fourth straight world title.
“It’s been a good day so far and it’s nice to drive the car. It feels well balanced and we only needed a few adjustments, so everything is going well.
“I don’t worry about anything and I feel relaxed. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
He added: “It’s a positive day and the car is strong and everything is going well, so it was a good start to the weekend. Hopefully I can keep it up tomorrow.”
Horner had previously dismissed the comments of Verstappen’s father Jos. Verstappen senior was back in the paddock for the first time since Bahrain, where he said the team was in danger of being “torn apart” if Horner kept his job after allegations of controlling behavior by a female staff member.
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Horner had previously irked Verstappen senior, who claimed he had been prevented from taking part in a Red Bull Legends Parade at the Red Bull Ring Circuit, while driving the team’s 2012 car in which Sebastian Vettel won his third consecutive title.
He said Horner had banned any filming, a decision that caused him to withdraw.
“How childish can you be,” he said to Formula1.nl.
“For example, filming was also planned to be done with a drone, but Horner did not want me to be filmed.
“I’m completely done with Horner. It looks like a kindergarten here. In the end I was allowed to drive, but I withdrew. I think this is so childish of Horner, but I think it says something about him.”
Horner responded saying, “Look, I’ve been notified. The legend parade is something organized by the circuit and there was no veto from me or anything like that.
“I’m sure the legends will take action later.”
He added: “The relationship with Max has always been very good and very strong. He is an important part of our team and our driver; he is the one with whom it is important to have a strong relationship.
“I have never had a problem with the fathers of our drivers in the past and whatever Jos’ problems are, I really have nothing to say about them.”
The Red Bull team boss had previously poked fun at rival Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff, after Verstappen confirmed on Thursday that he will stay with Red Bull next year.
When asked why Wolff remained linked to the champion, Horner said: “That is a question you should ask Toto. Max was quite firm in what he said and he has been absolutely consistent with that within the team. I think it’s purely a distraction tactic.
“If he wants a Verstappen next year, I think Jos might be available.”
Wolff had said Verstappen’s target was to replace the Ferrari-bound Hamilton next year.
Horner said: “Max is an important part of our team. He has achieved all his wins and podiums in Red Bull cars and three world championships so far. He is a crucial member of the team.
“There’s obviously been a lot of fuss made about him going somewhere else and sometimes you just think it’s a diversionary tactic – because you have to wonder what the motives are behind that?
“The driver who created all the movement in the market (Hamilton) had all the information about the engines and the 2026 regulations and so on and he chose to leave, leaving a vacancy at Mercedes.”
AUSTRIAN GP SPRINT QUALIFICATION RESULTS
1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2) Lando Norris (McLaren)
3) Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4) George Russel (Mercedes)
5) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6)Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
7) Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
8) Esteban Ocon (Alps)
9) Pierre Gasly (Alps)
10) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
11) Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
12) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
13) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
14) Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
15) Logan Sargeant (Williams)
16) Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
17) Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
18) Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)
19) Alexander Albon (Williams)
20) Guanyu Zhou (Sauber)
