Red Bull Woes: Marko Focuses Horner Still Unsettled

Dr Helmut Marko strives to overlook Red Bull’s internal turmoil, while Christian Horner’s unresolved issues continue to create tension within the team.

Marko states he won’t decide on his next engagement in Formula 1 “until the time comes”.

The triggering of a power struggle and a scandal involving Christian Horner at Red Bull continues to agitate the team behind the scenes, although publicly, things have calmed down.

When asked about the internal progress within the team, the consultant said: “Max (Verstappen) has disengaged from it and is focusing on racing.”

“He’s doing a very good job.”

However, Marko, 81, admits that the issues surrounding Horner persist, with a female staff member now in the midst of an internal appeal process.

“To my knowledge, the matter between Horner and the employee is not yet legally resolved. It’s something we need to set aside, especially in a situation where we are facing such technical challenges as a team. We need everyone to unite and not think about it.”

Marko’s current contract, which is with Red Bull GmbH and not the Formula 1 team, is not due to expire until 2026. He does not rule out signing a new one with a rival team – Toto Wolff is keen to attract both Marko and his protégé, Verstappen, to Mercedes.

“Why not? I love F1! But for now, everything is focused on Red Bull and Max Verstappen,” insists Marko.

Former Red Bull driver Christijan Albers, who has criticised Horner, reveals he confronted his former team boss in Monaco.

“At first, he felt he could intimidate me. That didn’t really work.”

“I told him, ‘You can’t make your problem my problem’. But I also told him that the English press had access to excerpts (of the matter) everywhere and knew how to find quotes to blow them up.”

“Eventually, he calmed down. I even managed to ask him a question on the grid, and everything went well,” concludes the consultant for Dutch television.