Mercedes star issues Verstappen Horner EXIT claim in astonishing rant

A Mercedes Formula 1 star has made a stunning claim regarding Max Verstappen's role in trying to remove Red Bull team principal Christian Horner from his position.

The comments come ahead of this weekend's 2024 season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the destination of the constructors' title will finally be decided.

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McLaren currently hold a 21-point advantage over Ferrari, with both teams set for a final-day showdown to clinch the trophy.

Defending champions Red Bull are still in the hunt for second spot, but all eyes will be on their battle with Mercedes at Yas Marina following a week of back-and-forth jibes between the teams.

Rival feud continues in Abu Dhabi

The war of words was sparked due to an incident during last week's qualifying session in Qatar, where Max Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty for slowing down on the track, a move which prompted a furious response from George Russell.

Verstappen blasted his Mercedes counterpart in the aftermath for his part in the penalty, while Russell admitted he had lost respect for the Dutchman.

And the feud shows no sign of slowing down, after Russell launched a scathing attack on the four-time champion in the build-up to this weekend's action.

Speaking to media on Thursday, the 26-year-old refused to back down, suggesting that the Red Bull racer had previously made an attempt to oust boss Christian Horner from his position as he commented on the team's struggles earlier in the campaign.

“For me, it’s interesting, this whole regard with him and his own team,” he said.

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“They’re doing their utmost to get Horner out of Red Bull, but at the very first race that he wasn’t competitive, he was absolutely slamming his team.

"And I know for a fact the week after, a quarter of his engineering team were sending their CVs to Mercedes, to McLaren, to Aston Martin.

“So I don’t respect somebody who doesn’t appreciate those who have given him the chance to perform, because these last 12 races, he has had a car that is of normal competitiveness.

"He’s been in the fight the same way as myself, Lewis [Hamilton], Charles [Leclerc], Carlos [Sainz], Lando [Norris] and [Oscar] Piastri have been. And that’s how it should be.

“I feel like we all need to lead by example here. He’s the biggest, most successful guy in the sport for the last couple of years.

"He can do what he wants in his own business, but when he starts throwing comments around like he did on Sunday night about me, I’m not just going to sit there and accept it.”

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