Red Bull’s operations and morale behind the scenes are seemingly still unravelling, with further disagreements between the two key figures, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, creating a wave of uncertainty. Their latest dispute stemmed from Marko’s comments about Adrian Newey, which Horner later denied.
In the days following the announcement of Yuki Tsunoda’s promotion to Red Bull, which caused unrest internally with even Max Verstappen criticizing the move, Marko claimed that, without Newey’s interference, the seat would have gone to the Japanese driver. That decision would likely have come at the expense of Liam Lawson—who was dropped after just two races this season—a move that might have ultimately benefited both drivers.
Horner, however, insisted that Newey had no involvement in determining the 2025 driver lineup. Speaking to journalist Simon Lazenby ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, Horner said, “Adrian wasn’t involved in driver decisions, certainly for this year.”
Newey, who had been part of the Red Bull setup since 2005, announced that he would leave the Milton Keynes-based outfit after the 2024 season. This makes Horner’s comments seem plausible—Newey likely wasn’t involved in decision-making for the following year. So, what exactly was Marko talking about?
The Austrian has been guilty of making unfounded comments in the past, and it seems that dragging Newey into their ultimately flawed decision to promote Lawson was yet another instance of Marko doing what he often does.
Horner, however, defended the 81-year-old.
“I think from all the comments that I saw, I think Helmut was referring to an incident back in 2022 at Silverstone,” the Red Bull team principal said.
Simon Lazenby – Dr. Marko’s [made] comments about Adrian. [Saying that when] Adrian Newey, was at the team that had the red flag up for Yuki. Is there any truth in those?
Christian Horner: No, I mean, Adrian wasn’t involved in driver decisions, certainly for this year.
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— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) April 4, 2025
That day, Tsunoda—then in his second season with Racing Bulls (formerly AlphaTauri)—was involved in an incident with his then-teammate Pierre Gasly, which resulted in debris that damaged the bodywork of Verstappen’s car.
Tsunoda apologized and labeled it as the ‘biggest mistake of his career’. But Newey was having none of it. He was absolutely furious, which could have put him in the bad books of the Red Bull higher-ups for the time being.
But that was a long time ago.
Tsunoda has evolved into a much more mature and consistent driver since then, something even Marko has admitted to in recent weeks. During Newey’s last days at Red Bull, he too must have noticed the same. That’s why the Austrian team decided to replace a struggling Lawson with Tsunoda, who is brimming with confidence.
His debut race will take place this Sunday in Japan, in front of his home fans. So far, he has looked strong in practice, just a tenth behind Verstappen, and will be hoping to carry that form into the rest of the weekend.
