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Three-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen’s father says Red Bull Racing “will explode” if it continues to lose key employees.

Jos Verstappen, himself a former F1 driver, expressed his concerns over the recent departures of chief strategist Will Courtenay to McLaren, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to Audi-Sauber and design guru Adrian Newey to Aston Martin.

Jos Verstappen said the instability under team principal Christian Horner is not sustainable.

“It can’t go on this way. It will explode,” Jos Verstappen told Mail Sport. “There is tension here while he remains in position.”

Max Verstappen still leads the F1 drivers’ standings and remains in position to win a fourth straight world championship, despite going winless in the last eight races. His once dominant lead has shrunk to 52 points over Lando Norris with six races remaining.

“This is what I warned about,” Jos Verstappen told Motorsport.com.

“The team then says: ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter, we have someone else (who we can put on that position).’

“But it’s too many people now (leaving). And Max gets questions about it every time and so on. So yeah, I think it’s just not good, what’s happening at the moment.”

–Field Level Media