Bombshell interview: Open war between Marko & Horner – The deepening power struggle within Red Bull Racing has reached a dramatic crescendo with Helmut Marko publicly rejecting key recent decisions made by team principal Christian Horner. In a revealing and at times scathing interview with formula.de, Marko painted a picture of internal division, diminishing influence and missteps that he believes are taking the team off course, both competitively and philosophically.
At the center of the storm: driver choices, performance clauses, technical shortcomings and a growing rift between two powerful camps within the Red Bull ecosystem. What emerges is a candid account from a senior advisor who no longer feels in control of the project he helped build, and who openly suggests that the fate of the team may now rest with Max Verstappen.
Marko vs. Horner: The battle for control
Helmut Marko wasted no time in setting the record straight. According to the long-serving Red Bull advisor, the choice to retain Sergio Perez and the handling of other key driver decisions were not his doing. Instead, he claims that Christian Horner – flanked by his inner circle – has taken full control of the decision-making process, often against Marko’s advice.
“It wasn’t my decision,” said Marko when asked about Perez’s contract extension. “I didn’t choose Perez. That was Christian.”
When asked why Red Bull chose Perez over a more consistent performer such as Nico Hulkenberg, Marko reportedly laughed at the question, hinting at his frustration and disbelief at what he perceives as decisions made for reasons other than sporting merit.
Marko also expressed his disappointment at the early release of Liam Lawson and the unexpected debut of Daniel Ricciardo, moves he felt were made without his approval. Each of these decisions, he suggested, reflected a deeper issue within the team: a growing disconnect between racing logic and internal politics.
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A divided house: Red Bull’s divided leadership
Marko described a Red Bull team that is no longer united. Instead, it is divided into factions. On one side is the Austrian contingent: Marko himself, reigning world champion Max Verstappen, Max’s father Jos Verstappen, Red Bull GmbH boss Oliver Mintzlaff and Mark Mateschitz, son of the company’s late founder.
On the other side is Horner, whose influence has grown significantly in recent years, especially so with the Thai side of the business ownership, and who is reportedly seeking greater long-term power, including a possible stake in the team.
Marko sees Horner’s ambitions as incompatible with Red Bull’s racing ethos.
In his eyes, the team’s foundation – built on identifying and developing talent, prioritising performance and staying true to a certain level of purist racing values – is now at risk. He believes that marketing interests and individual power plays are beginning to overshadow Red Bull Racing’s original mission.
Max Verstappen: The last link to Red Bull’s golden era
Marko made it clear that his own future at Red Bull is tied to that of Max Verstappen. His loyalty to the Dutch driver runs deep, dating back to the moment he first saw Verstappen in a rain-soaked junior race and immediately recognized a generational talent. That early belief helped bring Verstappen into the Red Bull family, and Marko says that bond has never wavered.
“If Max were to leave, that would be reason enough for me to leave,” he said bluntly.
There have long been rumours of a clause in Verstappen’s contract that would allow him to leave Red Bull if Marko were to leave. While Marko wouldn’t confirm the exact terms, he strongly hinted that their mutual loyalty runs deeper than any piece of paper. That loyalty, he hinted, may now be all that’s stopping him from walking away amidst the chaos.
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Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda: Victims of a broken system?
The treatment of Liam Lawson continues to bother Marko. Lawson’s brief time in a race seat was, in his view, compromised by an underperforming car that failed to provide a fair platform for evaluation.
“If the car had been better, Liam wouldn’t have needed two races,” said Marko, arguing that Lawson deserved more time to prove himself in machinery that could at least offer consistency.
As for Yuki Tsunoda, Marko has defended his promotion, saying the Japanese driver has shown mental and physical growth and would have finished fifth in the championship if not for strategic misfires. Dismissing Ralf Schumacher’s criticism that Red Bull sacrifices young talent too easily, Marko instead praised Tsunoda’s technical feedback and reliability under pressure.
Interestingly, he insisted that Tsunoda’s promotion had nothing to do with the timing of the Japanese Grand Prix or Honda’s home race at Suzuka – a claim that many will find hard to accept at face value given the business dynamics at play.
No place for Ricciardo or Perez in future
Perhaps most surprising was Marko’s unequivocal dismissal of Daniel Ricciardo. Once a fan favorite and seen as a potential comeback story, Ricciardo, according to Marko, is no longer the driver he once was.
“Daniel is no longer the driver that he was. That version of him is gone,” he said, pointing to Ricciardo’s post-Silverstone test as the moment things started to unravel.
Perez also appears to have no future in Marko’s plans. Marko noted that their conversations have been limited to casual topics – such as tequila – and that any notion of a serious return to a leading role in the team is unfounded.
These comments fuel speculation that Horner’s preferences are shaping the team more than ever, with Marko becoming a passenger in a system he helped design.
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The Verstappen clause: The clock is ticking
There is also speculation surrounding Verstappen’s future. Rumour has it that if Red Bull fail to remain in the top three after the Japanese Grand Prix, a performance clause could allow Verstappen to explore a move elsewhere. While Marko confirmed the existence of such clauses, he insisted that Verstappen doesn’t need any legal loopholes to make his position clear.
“Max wants to win. That’s why we have to make the car better,” he said, recounting a technical meeting in Milton Keynes where Verstappen himself identified the team’s core issue: not balance, but pure speed.
Unlike many drivers who need predictable setups to perform, Verstappen thrives on unpredictability – so long as the car is fast. Red Bull’s current chassis, it seems, fails to deliver in either department.
Aerodynamics, McLaren and the post-Marshall fallout
The departure of Rob Marshall to McLaren was also discussed, with Marko acknowledging that Red Bull’s famous aerodynamic dominance owed much to Marshall’s creativity – including the use of flexible wings that pushed the boundaries of what was legal.
“When Rob was with us, we were flexible everywhere,” Marko remarked. “Now he is at McLaren and suddenly they are fast.”
He pointed out that the FIA had responded with tougher tests to curb similar designs, particularly slot gap and load regulations, suggesting that McLaren’s rapid rise was a direct continuation of Marshall’s innovative thinking. It’s a subtle nod to the idea that Red Bull may have lost not just a key technical figure, but a vital edge.
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A team on the brink
Helmut Marko’s interview reads less like a casual update and more like a declaration of civil war within Red Bull Racing. He’s a man who no longer recognises the team he helped to create, and one who is clearly disillusioned with the direction it is taking under Christian Horner’s stewardship.
With Max Verstappen’s continued presence acting as the last stabilising force, the implication is clear: if Verstappen goes, Marko goes. And with tensions mounting on all fronts – technical, personal and organisational – the cracks are becoming too deep to ignore.
The battle for control of Red Bull Racing has gone public. And if Helmut Marko has his way, the person responsible for the dysfunction is no longer in doubt.
“Christian Horner’s decisions have created this situation,” he said. The message is loud and clear: the old guard is fighting back. Whether Red Bull can survive this internal reckoning intact remains to be seen.
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