Despite their record-breaking dominance this season, Red Bull have made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week. There are reports that team principal Christian Horner wants advisor Helmut Marko sacked. As these rumors continue to intensify, Alain Prost’s former team manager, Joan Villadelprat has explained why he believes that the 80-year-old has a foul mouth.
Brazilian outlet Globo was one of the first to report about the ongoing feud between Horner and Marko. The report stated that the 49-year-old has lost his patience with Marko after the Austrian’s recent “South American” jibe against Sergio Perez. While there are other reasons why Horner and Marko are reportedly having a dispute, Villadelprat has revealed why he believes that the Austrian is responsible for destroying careers.
Joan Villadelprat provides a scathing assessment of Helmut Marko
In a recent column on PlanetF1, Joan Villadelprat left no stone unturned in slamming Helmut Marko. Alain Prost’s former team manager provided various reasons for why Red Bull should remove the Austrian from the team.
“Every time he opens his mouth, the only thing he does is pick. Often a pilot in trouble doesn’t need anyone to tell him they are useless. There are people who need to be hammered to be motivated, but others don’t. Marko’s pressure on Perez isn’t helping him at all and isn’t helping the team“, explained the 68-year-old.
The Spaniard then added how Marko has a history of destroying careers. Having worked with the Austrian, Villadelprat believes that he understands the pressure the 80-year-old puts on the drivers.
According to Villadelprat, Marko believes that by yelling, he can support the drivers. However, the Spaniard believes that doing so does not provide any kind of support, but instead “destroys people“.
It is pertinent to note that Villadelprat is not the only individual from the F1 fraternity who has slammed Marko for his various remarks. Other drivers, such as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, have also expressed serious concern with the way the Austrian treats people.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell criticize Marko for the way he treats his drivers
Soon after Helmut Marko launched a “South American” jibe at Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton made it clear how it was “unacceptable” for the Austrian to treat his drivers in such a manner. The 38-year-old, in an interview with Sky Sports explained how Marko should be punished for such remarks and that apologies are not enough.
Similarly to Hamilton, Mercedes teammate George Russell also once called Marko out for the way he treated Nyck de Vries earlier in the season. Soon after the Dutchman faced the sack, Russell explained how the atmosphere at AlphaTauri was one of pressure, and Marko was responsible for the same.
“I mean, I didn’t follow Nyck closely during his time at AlphaTauri, but I saw the reports and things that Helmut said and it is a difficult place to go if you’re lacking confidence,” explained the Briton (as quoted by racingnews365.com). After stating the same, Russell explained how De Vries was just a rookie, and it is difficult for a driver like him to have the responsibility of leading a team.
