Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko talks with Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the garage during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 18, 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
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F1: No power struggle at Red Bull – Verstappen

Andrew Maitland

(GMM) There is no problem with a supposed power struggle at the otherwise dominant Red Bull team, world champion Max Verstappen insists.

In Austin, the Dutchman had already dismissed the rumors of potentially terminal disagreements between bosses Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko as “BS”.

But some sources believe Verstappen’s intervention, given his close ties to 80-year-old Marko, had effectively ended any push by Horner to oust the Austrian.

“The trust that we have – that of course I have in Helmut and Helmut has in me – is very important,” the 26-year-old team driver told Sky Italia on Friday.

“But it’s the same with Christian as well. After Dietrich (Mateschitz) died last year, a few new captains from the Austrian side were added,” said Max. “But that’s good.

“And we have spoken about it. Everything actually stays the same as we did before. Everyone stays together, in the same roles. That’s also important for us.”

As for Marko, he thinks much of the noise about the supposed power struggle was simply invented by a bored media contingent, hungry for a story.

“I think we’re winning too much!” he said in Austin. “There’s no real news here, and now something is being played up.

“In general, the structure and the climate in the team is fine. It’s clear that there are some small differences of opinion, but everything works out.”

Marko also admits that there were initially a few problems with Mateschitz’s successor, new Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, was appointed.

Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko talks in the garage during a red flag delay during the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 27, 2023 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko talks in the garage during a red flag delay during the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 27, 2023 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“It is logical that a company has to adapt and position itself somewhat differently,” he said, referring to the death of his friend and partner Mateschitz.

“But this has nothing to do with how we work and how we treat one another.”

He said his relationship with Briton Horner, the team principal at Red Bull Racing, is also intact.

“We’ve known each other for 27 years,” said Marko. “We built this up together.

“The division of labor is Christian doing the operational side, I’m more into the strategy. It’s good, and it’s worked so far, and we’ll see that it works in the future too.”