Verstappen addresses anger claim over Red Bull drama

Max Verstappen has addressed claims that last year's in-house Red Bull drama angered him, something he wholly denies.  Despite Verstappen securing a fourth consecutive F1 drivers' title last year, it was a rocky 2024 for Red Bull.  Issues with the RB20 boggled minds in the Milton Keynes-based team, whilst senior figures were busy dealing with other problems.  Red Bull had started last year very strong, although its initial dominance was overshadowed by an investigation into team principal Christian Horner.  A female employee of the team had filed a complaint against Horner of inappropriate behaviour; however, he was cleared of any wrongdoing and an appeal was dismissed.  Soon after, there were reports of a power struggle between Horner and advisor Helmut Marko.  Adding to the off-track drama, Verstappen's father, former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, was involved in a public spat with the team boss.  It resulted in a negative Red Bull media storm, something which the the 27-year-old insists did not faze him. "For me, it doesn't matter so much what is said by outsiders," Verstappen told   "What matters to me is what happens in the team internally, not people who have nothing to do with us. "There has been noise in the team, one hundred percent. Otherwise it wouldn't be written about either. But I think we were able to solve it well between everyone." Red Bull's off-track tension led to rumours that the Dutchman could leave, to join either rivals Mercedes or Aston Martin. He later denied those claims as well, stressing his future was with Red Bull.  According to Verstappen, the problems did not anger him, but the team knew his stance on the various situations. "There was no need to be," Verstappen insisted. "Everyone knew how I stood in it anyway and what I thought was important for the team."