Dr. Helmut Marko reveals clarity amidst the turmoil in Red Bull’s partnership with Ford and the unfolding Horner affair saga.
For the moment, at least, Red Bull has retained the support of Ford, its engine partner for Formula 1 in 2026, amid its power struggles and the affair surrounding Christian Horner.
In Jeddah, Red Bull’s F1 consultant, Dr. Helmut Marko, acknowledged that both Ford and Honda had voiced their concerns over the ongoing, troubled nature of the saga.
However, meetings in Saudi Arabia have brought some calm, at least.
“Things have become clearer,” Marko stated.
When asked if he could continue working with Horner, he responded, “We have already been doing so for 19 years, so why not?”
“However, there are still some issues that need to be resolved.”
For now, Ford appears to still be committed to the energy drink brand’s motorsport program, emerging as the title sponsor of the Red Bull-supported F1 Academy team project – the new all-female F1 support series.
However, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff warns that the Horner affair seems not yet concluded.
“From the outside, we’re witnessing a lot of drama. And for a team like Red Bull, such a situation is not ideal.”
“Red Bull has mishandled the situation due to today’s very transparent world.”
“Not revealing everything only makes things more intriguing for the media, fans, leading to more questions, more stories, more speculation.”
“But there’s a real story in the background, and that’s the most important: why did a woman who felt uncomfortable go to HR? Why has she not yet been discussed?”
“There’s also an information strategy that seems a bit confused from the outside. Generally, Austrians are professional while in England, they try to keep everything in a corner, but that’s no longer possible these days.”
Will the Red Bull employee’s version soon be made public?
Toto Wolff expects that at some point, the employee in question will publicly speak about the affair.
According to a friend of the employee, who spoke to the DailyMail, she has been flooded with offers to share her story, but has decided to keep it private for now.
He said, “She is so disappointed with how everything unfolded, especially since she did everything by the book. She voiced her concerns privately and did everything correctly, but feels very let down by the company. They suspended her even though she followed the rules, processes diligently and correctly. The lack of support is noted, and she is deeply disappointed with how her employer has treated her. Look at what happened. She complained, there was a supposed transparent and independent investigation, Horner was cleared, then she was suspended.”
“Who at Red Bull was responsible for establishing the facts? Who at Red Bull had access to all the confidential documents used? Who at Red Bull is making all these decisions and who at Red Bull is trying to find out the source of this information, these leaks? She simply cannot believe that after lodging a complaint, she ended up being suspended. All she wants is transparency in the process.”
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