Jos Verstappen vs Ralf Schumacher: War of words over Red Bull and Max "missing Marko" claims

Schumacher ignited the dispute during an appearance on Backstage Boxengasse podcast, where he painted a bleak picture of the Milton Keynes outfit. “Things are really heating up there,” he said, adding that Verstappen had “lost an important voice in his camp” following the exit of Helmut Marko.

The six-time Grand Prix winner described Red Bull as “a bit chaotic” with “no proper external communication,” before delivering his harshest verdict: the car is “a disaster” and “difficult to drive.” He also questioned why Verstappen has effectively become the team’s public spokesperson, suggesting that role should not fall on the reigning champion.

Those comments triggered a blunt response from Jos Verstappen, who dismissed Schumacher’s assessment, saying the German “talks a lot of bullshit.”

Despite the public nature of the criticism, Schumacher revealed the situation has since been addressed privately: “Yes, we have been in contact. He wasn’t rude at all, but he did make it clear that he thinks differently about it. Again: I like Jos Verstappen, I like Max Verstappen, so in that respect, everything is fine.”

Schumacher acknowledged the emotional strain surrounding Red Bull’s current struggles, particularly for a figure like Jos, who is unused to scrutiny after years of success.

Central to Schumacher’s argument is the absence of Marko, long seen as a key intermediary between the team and the outside world.

“I’m not even talking so much about the technical side,” Schumacher explained, “but more about the fact that Marko was always a sort of spokesperson for Red Bull Racing to the outside world. Now that really falls solely to Max. I don’t think that is always his job.”

He suggested that Jos may be taking the situation personally, possibly due to a more active role behind the scenes, but stopped short of escalating the disagreement further. “Otherwise, it’s not a big problem. Everything is fine again.”

Schumacher also pointed to broader factors contributing to the tension, including Red Bull’s competitive decline and the missed opportunity of a potential switch to Mercedes when it was still viable.

“I understand that too,” he said. “It actually does him credit that he is keeping a protective hand over the team. Because I can imagine that things are anything but harmonious internally at the moment.”

With Red Bull facing what Schumacher described as a “complete rebuild,” and rivals gaining ground under the new regulations, the situation around Verstappen is becoming increasingly complex, both on and off track.