Since the inappropriate behavior allegations against Christian Horner by a female co-worker, rumors suggest Red Bull has split into two factions. The jeopardy that the Austrian team has gotten into seems endless, and so does the spiral. Amid this, Horner couldn’t help but address the issue and state ‘Nobody is bigger than the team.’
According to reports, the two factions comprise Red Bull GmbH and the Yoovidhya family the company’s majority shareholders who reportedly have thorough support for Horner. While the other side consists of Helmut Marko, his loyal disciple Max Verstappen, and his father, Jos Verstappen.
Horner, speaking about the alleged factions, said as per Junaid Samodien on Twitter (now X), “No, a lot is made of this stuff. We are one team. No one is bigger than this team and it comprises 1,400 people, and you don’t achieve these performances without their hard work.”
Following this, he went on to describe the role of Marko and Verstappen in the team. He said, “Firstly, Helmut [Marko] is a consultant to Red Bull GmbH, and Max [Verstappen] is a very valuable part of our team. Not one person is above the team.”
Max Verstappen chating with *BOTH* Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.
Relationship between RB bosses looks better than some media & Twitter experts are trying to tell you. #SaudiaArabianGP pic.twitter.com/Ic3D1UOtfn
— Maxx | F1newsletter.com (@F1_Newsletter) March 9, 2024
Notably, if the two factions do not mingle together, it could rip apart the Milton Keynes-based team. After Red Bull notified Helmut Marko about the disciplinary action due to his leaks to the media, the 80-year-old spoke about leaving the team.
The veteran advisor revealed that he may not be present with Red Bull in Australia and this unsettled everything inside the Milton-Keynes-based team. However, after an immediate meeting ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP race in Jeddah, Red Bull CEOs Oliver Mintzlaff and Frank Watzlawick sat with Marko to settle things down.
Is Helmut Marko staying at Red Bull amid the aftermath of the Christian Horner saga?
Helmut Marko, following the all-important meeting with the top Red Bull officials including Mintzlaff and Watzlawick, confirmed to remain in the team. He asserted that he had three more years in his contract and would stay till the end of it.
This comes right after Verstappen talked about his loyalty to Marko after everything the 80-year-old has done for the former. He also stated that he would leave Red Bull if Helmut Marko did so. Interestingly, Marko was the one who picked Verstappen from the junior category and offered him an F1 seat.
Nonetheless, the Austrian veteran wants “calm” in the team and wants things to cool off categorically. Despite this, the internal power struggle between the two brigades may be far from over and complications are far from solved.
