According to Helmut Marko, the reason why Max Verstappen did not win his fifth Formula 1 world championship with Red Bull lies entirely with Christian Horner. This is the blunt summary of the Red Bull advisor’s statements, as he did not hold back and claimed that the former British team principal had lied shamelessly for his own purposes. A situation that, in Marko’s view, put the team in a state of confusion, slowed down the plan to correct and develop the car, and ultimately cost the world title to the talented driver from Hasselt. Here is how it all unfolded.
Red Bull, Marko leaves after many reasons accumulated over the years
The long-time consultant of the energy drink giant has decided to leave the Austrian team after four decades of involvement. It is a painful farewell, although, at least from his own perspective, age played no role in this decision. At 82 years old, Helmut Marko insists that his age is not the reason why he chose to step away from the pinnacle of motorsport. On the contrary, he claims to still have plenty of energy, which he intends to invest in other projects.
Setting aside his clarification on this point, the causes behind this departure have already been widely reported, marking the end of a very important era in his life. Sources very close to Red Bull explain that the final decisive episode was the signing of Alex Dunne, approved by Marko without receiving formal approval from senior management. The team then found itself forced to terminate the contract independently, paying the Irish driver a substantial financial settlement.
This episode further strained relationships that were already complex, shaped by disagreements over several drivers within the junior programme. The overall context accelerated the separation process. In the background, however, remained the unresolved issue of the relationship between Helmut Marko and the team, particularly during the Horner affair, when Max Verstappen spoke out in Saudi Arabia, stating that his own future would not have been guaranteed without Marko’s presence.
It was a deep bond, rooted back in 2015, when the Austrian figure played a key role in promoting the Formula 1 debut of a very young Dutch driver who was still underage at the time. Today, the scenario has clearly changed, and the label of a simple “resignation” does not fully reflect reality. The situation is closely linked to the changes that followed the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, when responsibilities within the organisation shifted. Accustomed to operating with a high degree of autonomy, Helmut Marko struggled to adapt to this new environment.
The accusations of manipulation from Helmut Marko
The octogenarian was never going to disappear quietly without one final bombshell. He made it clear that he does not consider himself the winner in the confrontation with Christian Horner, but he stressed that intervention was essential to recover on-track performance, which had been suffering from significant delays. For this reason, he firmly maintains that, had action been taken earlier, the situation would have been put back on track this year and Max Verstappen would have secured the world championship.
Marko also admitted that the final years working alongside Christian Horner were filled with tension. He described how the British manager allegedly acted as an internal saboteur. He recalled the period when Sergio Pérez was part of the team, claiming that information was fabricated suggesting that Mexican engineers were less focused than their Dutch counterparts. He also referred to 2024, when reports emerged that engine development was behind schedule and that the partnership with Ford was at risk.
Horner lied across the board until he was exposed, according to Marko
The senior advisor denied all of these claims, stating that he had never said anything of the sort. In his view, the responsibility lay entirely with Christian Horner and his manipulation of events in an attempt to have him suspended. Only the decisive intervention of Max Verstappen in Jeddah prevented more serious consequences. Within the team, the atmosphere had taken on the tone of an internal civil war, but paradoxically this tension ended up being directed against the former Red Bull team principal, who had secured the backing of the Thai ownership faction.
As a result, when Chalerm Yoovidhya, the team’s majority shareholder, recognised the true situation, common sense prevailed and the “spice boy” was removed from his position. Helmut Marko did not mince his words: it became possible to demonstrate that Christian Horner had been lying systematically, in virtually every circumstance, until the ownership itself fully understood the scale of the situation and decided to act.
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