Earlier this year, the F1 community was shaken by the accusations against Christian Horner regarding inappropriate behavior towards an employee. Although a Red Bull internal investigation cleared Horner, it brought a boatload of trouble within the team. Amid the struggles, Helmut Marko suggests that the Horner scandal triggered Red Bull’s downfall.
When asked if Horner’s investigation is related to the performance dip, Marko told OE24, “It’s clear that something like that doesn’t help. But ultimately, it doesn’t have to do directly with our technical problems, but with the departure of important people. If certain employees want to change and get a good offer or see a new opportunity, they perceive it.”
| Helmut Marko admits Red Bull are losing “important people.”
He attributes some of this to Christian Horner… See below:https://t.co/lLmhtOz9Pv
— formularacers (@formularacers_) September 5, 2024
Horner‘s investigation is believed to have started a major power struggle within Red Bull. Marko, Max Verstappen, and Adrian Newey were all believed to have retaliated against it and were reported to leave. Newey was the first one to make the exit followed by Jonathan Wheatley’s exit announcement. Meanwhile, Verstappen is still linked to a possible Mercedes seat for 2026.
Zak Brown and Toto Wolff came out mid-season suggesting that they’ve seen an increase in the Red Bull CVs flying around the paddock. This brain drain from Red Bull on all levels is what Marko is referring to have affected the team.
Even Marc Priestley claimed that this employee turnover at Milton Keynes may have brought in a lot of uncertainty and restlessness within the team. As a result, it may have inadvertently affected their technical program as well, causing the issues with the RB20 to amplify.
Apparently, Jos Verstappen had been warning about such a situation since the beginning of the season when the allegations against Horner surfaced. The 52-year-old has once again come out to criticize the team’s affairs.
Jos Verstappen slams Horner amid the performance dip
Lando Norris won the Dutch GP with a 22.9-second gap to Verstappen in P2. McLaren brought major upgrades that weekend, putting them well ahead of the chasing pack, including Red Bull.
Jos Verstappen was disappointed with Red Bull as a competitor beat them by such a huge margin. He suggested that the team had taken multiple wrong steps in development. Verstappen Sr. asked the team to look in the mirror, be brutally honest and accept their mistakes.
According to GP fans, Verstappen Sr. demanded Horner to step up, as he said, “The good people are leaving the team. I’m very unhappy with what’s happening because Max cannot be happy with a car like this. Now it is up to Horner to get the team back on track. I’ll be surprised if he does. A lot has to happen for that. The whole spirit has to change.”
At the beginning of the season, the former Benetton driver called for Horner’s dismissal from Red Bull. He highlighted that the controversy against him could make the team implode. Since then, the events seem to have unfolded as he predicted on and off the track.
