Nelson Piquet on Christian Horner's sacking from Red Bull: 'Some didn't like the team environment'
Nelson Piquet has divulged some inside details about what may have led to Christian Horner's sacking from Red Bull. He is the father of Red Bull champion Max Verstappen's girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, and a three-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion.
The F1 veteran indicated that Horner's presence at Red Bull made it difficult for the team to hire new talent or bring back former colleagues.
Who is Nelson Piquet?
Christian Horner served as the Team Principal at Red Bull for 20 years, during which Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen won multiple Formula One World Championships. Verstappen is currently in a relationship with Kelly Piquet, the daughter of Nelson Piquet and his second ex-wife, Sylvia Tamsma.
He is also the grandfather of Kelly and Max's baby girl, Lily.
Nelson Piquet on what went wrong at Red Bull
Dropping a truth bomb during the Pelas Pistas podcast, Nelson Piquet said, 'What's the reason they are struggling to keep Max? I heard it's that they have difficulty bringing some key people back or hiring, because some didn't like the team environment. Those little problems came up between [Horner] and Max's father. In a way, it bothered some people, and for them to bring the people they want back, some felt that with Christian there, it would be more difficult.
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He continued, 'That's what people have been saying. It was about sharing tasks a little bit more, and Horner didn't want to do that. He wanted to maintain control over everything—both teams, over the engines; he wanted to be in control of everything. But for him, it was a win-win situation.'
Piquet also stressed that Verstappen wasn't the reason behind Horner's dismissal. Horner was removed from his role at Red Bull during a season in which the team has struggled to maintain form, despite Verstappen winning the Drivers' Championship title last year.
Piquet claimed, 'If he gets all the power, for him, it's a huge moral issue. And if he doesn't, he gets a huge amount of money — almost 100 million dollars. Maybe part of that is psychological, so they can get rid of him and hire this list of people back. It's not just because of Max.'
Also Read:
Sacked Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner's wife Geri Horner hit by £1 million debt
Horner has reportedly been placed on gardening leave, during which he will receive a hefty salary. He has been replaced by Racing Bulls Team Principal, Laurent Mekies.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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