Retired Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko reflects on his strained relationship with former team boss Christian Horner. The Brit was ousted last July, but according to Marko, ‘dirty games’ had been played in the years leading up to that. Ultimately, the former team boss was dismissed due to disappointing track performances, although it was a bit late for Marko: ‘If we had fired Christian earlier, Max Verstappen would have been champion this year’.
After 21 years of loyal service, Helmut Marko is leaving Red Bull. The Austrian was instrumental in the creation of the Austrian Formula 1 team, but decided on the Thursday before the GP Abu Dhabi that the race weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit would be his last.
“I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I didn’t read that press release full of nonsense,” the Austrian admits, speaking to De Limburger. “Let’s just say a lot has changed in the team in a short time. You think you know people well, but it turns out you don’t. I won’t say more than that. And that fifth title wouldn’t have made a difference. It was my ultimate dream to make it five in a row with Verstappen, the best driver we’ve ever had. But it wasn’t meant to be, even though I had high hopes for the last race.”
Christian Horner’s Departure from Red Bull
One of the significant changes at Red Bull last year was the dismissal of Christian Horner. The former team boss often clashed with Marko. However, Marko did not perceive Horner’s departure as a ‘victory’. “We had to make a move because our on-track performance was lagging,” explains Marko. “Had we acted sooner, we could have gotten things on track faster this year, and Max would have become world champion. I firmly believe that.”
Although Marko, along with Dietrich Mateschitz, appointed Horner as Red Bull’s team boss in 2005, the relationship between the two men had soured in recent years. “The last few years with Horner were not pleasant,” the Austrian continues. “Dirty games were being played. Do you remember when I was alleged to have said during Sergio Pérez‘s time that Mexicans are less focused than the Dutch or Germans? That was fabricated, possibly by them. Just like the rumor I supposedly spread in 2024 that our engine development was behind schedule, and we would lose Ford as our sponsor. I never said that, but Horner wanted to use it to suspend me. It didn’t happen because Max stepped in to defend me in Jeddah,” reveals Marko.
