Horner and Marko feud: Red Bull boss weighs in after 'liar' claims

Red Bull GmbH boss Oliver Mintzlaff has had his say about the feud behind two of the F1 team's former key figures, saying he doesn't agree with Helmut Marko's comments about Christian Horner.

Marko recently left the team after 20 years in his job role, before taking to an exclusive interview to make some stunning accusations about Horner, including that he was allegedly 'lying about everything' and wanted to 'takeover' the team during his final few years in the job.

Horner was recently axed from his role as Red Bull team principal, as the team have opted to have a completely new era, with Laurent Mekies guiding them into a period of power unit production and wholesale regulation changes.

Horner and Marko worked together from 2005-2025, winning six constructors' titles in that time and eight drivers' championships with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Now, Red Bull CEO Mintzlaff has had his say on the feud between two of the team's key figures in their history, not getting drawn into picking sides.

"Those words about Christian are Helmut's own," Mintzlaff told De Telegraaf. "I can't say anything negative about Christian. Simply because he meant a lot to Red Bull. But there always comes a time when things aren't going well, and then, as a company, you have to make a decision. Are you going to give someone more time, or is it time for a new leader? We felt it was time for a change.

"I disagree with Helmut's statements. Yes, it's logical that things change within an organisation. Perhaps Dr. Marko has changed over the years as well. I think it's quite normal that not everything is the same as it was five years ago. Christian and Helmut have worked together wonderfully for many years, since the start in 2005. So we're talking about more than twenty years.

"Give me a few examples of other major sports organisations where the leadership team remains the same for so long. So you could look at it very negatively that they're both gone now. But I would say it's unique that they've been here together for so long and have achieved so much. Sometimes you just need a change to shake things up."

What did Marko say about Horner?

After confirming his retirement from Red Bull after the 2025 season, Marko issued an interview with De Telegraaf about the ins and outs of his relationship with Horner.

He claimed that the Brit changed following the death of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022. His full comments were as follows: "Together with Didi [Mateschitz], I founded Red Bull Racing in 2005," Marko said. "We appointed Horner as team principal, and I was there as an overseer.

"The power was always essentially in Austria; we were the ones calling the shots. I remember a party in 2022 before the Austrian Grand Prix. Didi was there, but not in good health. Christian came to me and said, 'He won't make it to the end of the year.'

"From that moment on, he started getting friendly with Chalerm Yoovidhya. When Didi passed away later that year, he did everything he could to take over with Yoovidhya's support. I did everything I could on behalf of 'Austria' to prevent that.

"We were increasingly able to prove that Horner was lying about everything under the sun," Marko continued. "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."

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