F1: 'He has my support', Sergio Perez stands for Red Bull principal Christian Horner

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has publically defended his team principal Christian Horner amid the controversy that he conducted himself inappropriately against a female employee.

Perez said Horner not only had his support but also the backing of the entire Red Bull team.

"I think he not only has my support, but I think the entire team is behind him. He is, of course, a very important person within our organisation, and the work he has done over the years, that goes without saying. Christian is a key figure in our organization," Perez said.

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The Mexican driver said he was not paying much attention to the controversy and instead was focused on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend.

"I can only say something from the race side, I don't know what's going on. And to be honest, I don't follow it like that. I am a race car driver and what I do here. I don't do politics. I drive the car as fast as I can," he added.

Max remains vague

While Perez lends his support to Horner, his teammate Max Verstappen has kept it vague. Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen has claimed Red Bull risked being torn apart if Horner stayed as the team principal.

"There is tension here while he remains in position," Jos Verstappen told a British news outlet.

"The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is theonecausing the problems," he added.

Earlier this week, media reports claimed that Jos held a meeting with Mercedes team leader Toto Wolff, leading to aspersions that he was plotting his son's move to the German team if Horner refused to leave his position.

On Thursday (Mar 7), Red Bull suspended the woman who filed a complaint against Horner, claiming the team principal had acted inappropriately against her. A few hours later, Horner released a statementsaying media and F1 officials were to be blamed for the entire fiasco.

“What has happened then after that is that others have looked to take advantage of it. F1 is a competitive business and elements have looked to benefit from it and that is perhaps the not-so-pretty side of our industry.”

Quizzed if Max Verstappen would see out his contract amid rumours that he might quit, Horner said he was certain that the Dutch would stick around.

"We’ve achieved an awful lot together. He’s committed to an agreement until 2028. From a team side, from Max’s side, we’re determined to build on the success that we’ve achieved already," saidHorner.

(With inputs from agencies)