The Red Bull ship recently waded through rough waters with rumours surfacing of a supposed power struggle within the team between Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. Having seen Marko work with Red Bull up close, Ralf Schumacher detailed the veteran’s importance to the team while also pointing out how Max Verstappen would play a pivotal role if something were to go down.
Per a report from F1 Maximaal, the German former driver claimed Red Bull getting rid of Marko would make little sense to him. He added that the Milton Keynes-based outfit would also be going against the wishes of Verstappen, should they decide to send Marko away.
“I can also imagine that Verstappen would not allow Marko to leave at all. He has already been very clear about that. As long as he drives there, not much will change.”
Schumacher and Marko have a long history, dating back to the German’s days in Macau, even before he reached F1. The 80-year-old played a crucial role in Schumacher’s career, and the driver believes he (Marko) has played an equally important role in Red Bull becoming one of the most dominant teams on the current grid.
Many rumours also suggest the Austrian team is unhappy with the 80-year-old, but all of them have been put to rest. Schumacher believes that both Red Bull and Verstappen still value the veteran’s insights and contributions highly and are not in favour of him stepping away from the team, especially since there is a chance that Marko might retire after his contract comes to an end after the 2024 season.
Max Verstappen will never leave Marko’s side
With the power struggle rumours catching strong winds, Auto Bild conducted an investigation (reported by GP Blogs) to ascertain the atmosphere within the Milton Keynes camp. The report suggested Horner wanted to consolidate power within the team by trying to oust Marko. Furthermore, the report claimed Red Bull’s Thai Owners and the company’s acting boss on the European side, Oliver Mintzlaff, were both on Horner’s side should a coup take place.
However, one man stood in the way of the coup, and that was the reigning drivers’ world champion, Max Verstappen. Per strong sources of Auto Bild, the report also said that the Dutchman told the Thai bosses and Mintzlaff that “in case Marko has to leave, he would also leave.”
With the prospect of their most prized asset leaving the team at the behest of the coup, the people involved in the planning of the same potentially thought it best to not go ahead with the same.
