Red Bull are reportedly having a power struggle at the moment with both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko keen to push their agendas within the team. Amidst this struggle, Horner is reportedly keen to sack the Austrian because of their recent disagreements on multiple issues. However, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, as per Sky Germany, believes that Max Verstappen will not tolerate the same.
Horner, who’s been running Red Bull alongside Marko since its inception in 2005 has seemingly had enough of the Austrian. After Marko’s recent controversial comments about Sergio Perez’s nationality coupled with his growing influence within the team, Horner seemingly wants to get rid of the 80-year-old.
F1: Horner warned that Verstappen may side with Marko amid Red Bull “unrest” https://t.co/5hvrlomFd4
— Mark Beacham – VK3XB/5Z4XB/A65B 🇺🇦 (@MarkBeacham) October 16, 2023
Max Verstappen likely to side with Helmut Marko over Christian Horner
Max Verstappen shares a strong relationship with Helmut Marko, who played an instrumental in getting the Dutchman into F1. As a result, it is no surprise that the 26-year-old’s loyalties will likely lie with the Austrian.
It is this reason why Schumacher (as quoted by gpblog.com/nl) believes that, “Verstappen would not tolerate [Marko’s dismissal] and that he would rather see Horner go”. Moreover, it is not just Verstappen who could be at odds with Horner over the latter’s unpopular decisions.
F1: Horner warned that Verstappen may side with Marko amid Red Bull “unrest” https://t.co/5hvrlomFd4
— Mark Beacham – VK3XB/5Z4XB/A65B 🇺🇦 (@MarkBeacham) October 16, 2023
Since the 49-year-old was reportedly pushing to sell AlphaTauri, Schumacher believes that the Briton could also be at odds with the rest of the team as he was going against the wishes of Red Bull’s founder Dietrich Mateschitz. “The sale was prevented in Salzburg because this was the wish of the deceased Dietrich Mateschitz,” explained Schumacher.
Schumacher believes Horner is after more power
At the end of the day, all of this tension emanates from the power struggle ensuing between Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. And to add another layer of complexity to this whole affair, the outcome of this tussle will decide the fate of the $10,000,000 presence Honda has within the team.
Christian Horner reportedly wants Yuki Tsunoda out. On the contrary, Marko wants to see the Japanese drive thrive. This is partly because Marko knows that threatening to cut Tsunoda lo0se could mean Honda, who’ve backed the 23-year-old in the sport, may pull their hefty paychecks (around $10,000,000) from the team’s operations.
According to Schumacher, however, this can all be avoided by just appeasing Horner. Schumacher thinks that the only thing Horner wants is more influence within the team. “If I have to support more, I must also be able to exert more influence,” explained the German while discussing Horner’s frame of mind.
