Helmut Marko claims Christian Horner plotted to get him 'suspended'

christian horner, helmut marko, red bull — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Marko claims Horner plotted to get him 'suspended'

Helmut Marko didn't hold back

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 11 January 2026 08:53

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Former Red Bull F1 chief Helmut Marko has alleged that Christian Horner plotted to get him 'suspended'.

For the first time in 20 years, we head into an F1 season where neither Horner nor Marko lead Red Bull, with the team undergoing a major overhaul in personnel in the past two years.

Since leaving the team, Marko has unleashed his fury at former boss Horner, blaming his prolonged exit as the reason why Max Verstappen was unable to claim a fifth world title.

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Marko also branded Horner a 'liar' and accused him of playing 'dirty tricks', some of which he unveiled during a frank interview with De Limburger.

The Dutch publication spoke to Marko following his Red Bull departure, and asked him whether it felt like a victory to finally be rid of Horner.

"No. We had to do something because performance on the track was lagging behind," Marko responded.

“Had we done that earlier, we would have got things up and running faster this year and Max would have become world champion. I am absolutely convinced of that.

“But those last few years with Horner were not pleasant. There were dirty games being played."

Marko claims Horner played games and tried to suspend him

One such alleged dirty game, landed Marko in hot water. In 2023, Marko blamed Sergio Perez's inconsistent form at Red Bull on his cultural heritage, which earned him widespread disapproval across the F1 paddock.

The former team chief apologised for the comments after the incident, but speaking to De Limburger, Marko alleged that these words were 'fabricated' by the Horner camp at Red Bull.

“Do you remember me saying, during Sergio Perez's time, that Mexicans are less focused than Dutch or Germans? That was fabricated, perhaps by them," he continued.

"Just like I supposedly spread the rumour in 2024 that the development of our engine was behind schedule and that we would therefore lose Ford as our sponsor."

Marko even suggested that Horner attempted to remove him from the team, but added Verstappen intervention prevented this from happening.

“I never said that, but Horner wanted to use it to suspend me. Because Max stepped in at Jeddah, it didn't happen," he concluded on the topic.

F1 Red Bull Christian Horner Helmut Marko