F1 legend Helmut Marko calls Christian Horner a LIAR and it's 'why he was axed from Red Bull'

Christian Horner talking with Helmut Marko — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull

Helmut Marko calls Christian Horner a LIAR and it's 'why he was axed from Red Bull'

Helmut Marko retired from his role earlier this week

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 15 December 2025 09:42

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Former Red Bull F1 advisor Helmut Marko has said that Christian Horner was 'lying about everything under the sun' during his later years at the team.

Horner was team principal of the Milton Keynes-based outfit between 2005-2025, being axed back in July with the team down in fourth in the constructors' championship.

Laurent Mekies took over the role, and Red Bull's form picked up, with the team also presenting a much more united front.

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Max Verstappen even managed to get himself back into the title race, winning seven grands prix in 2025 and finishing just two points behind champion Lando Norris.

In the aftermath of the season, 82-year-old Marko stepped down from his role as advisor for the team, leaving Red Bull after 20 years.

Now, he has spoken to De Telegraaf in a bombshell interview, highlighting the infighting within the team during the latter stages of Horner's time as team principal.

"We were increasingly able to prove that Horner was lying about everything under the sun," Marko said. "Once Chalerm [Yoovidhya, co-owner of Red Bull GmbH] realised this, he came to his senses.

"But those last years with Horner weren't pleasant. Dirty tricks were played. Do you remember me saying, back in the Sergio Perez era, that Mexicans are less focused than the Dutch or Germans? That was fabricated, perhaps even by them.

"Just like I supposedly said in 2024 that our engine development was behind schedule and that we would therefore lose Ford as our sponsor. I never said that, but Horner wanted to use that to get me suspended. Because Max stepped up to the plate in Jeddah, it didn't happen."

Red Bull looking to new era

With Horner, Marko, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley all gone, this latest iteration of the team feels like Red Bull 2.0.

They have been much more harmonious since Mekies took over, but the question now is whether he and the rest of the team can imitate the supreme success that their predecessors achieved.

Marko and Horner helped Red Bull win six constructors' titles and eight drivers' championships in 15 years, with the team becoming serial winners.

It remains to be seen, too, whether Mekies can encourage Verstappen to stay with the team beyond the upcoming 2026 season.

F1 Red Bull Christian Horner Helmut Marko