Jos Verstappen claims Christian Horner blocked Austrian GP Legends Parade drive

Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, has claimed that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stopped him from taking part in the Legends Parade at this weekend’s F1 Austrian Grand Prix.

Verstappen had been scheduled to drive Red Bull’s RB8 - which Sebastian Vettel drove to his third world championship title in 2012 - on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring.

Gerhard Berger, David Coulthard, Emerson Fittipaldi and Johnny Herbert will all take part in the parade, which celebrates “legendary F1 drivers and iconic F1 cars that have won the Austrian Grand Prix over the past 50 years”.

The parade is due to take place at 12:30 on Sunday, ahead of this year’s Austrian Grand Prix.

"In the past few days I have heard from several sides that Christian Horner has done everything he can not to let me ride,” Verstappen told Dutch publication De Telegraaf.

“And to make sure otherwise that nothing would be filmed. Then I think: say it to my face. It doesn't have to be this way for me, I think it's very disappointing.”

De Telegraaf reports that the “relationship between Jos Verstappen and team boss Christian Horner has cooled”.

The pair appeared to have a heated argument in the Bahrain paddock at the season-opening race back in March.

Verstappen Sr warned at the time that Red Bull risked being “torn apart” if Horner continued as team principal following allegations made against him by a female employee.

Horner, who always denied the accusations, was cleared of wrongdoing and has remained in his post.