F1 News: What Marko really thought about Max Verstappen, Christian Horner's stunning revelations

Verstappen, Horner, Marko, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

What Marko really thought about Max Verstappen, Christian Horner's stunning revelations

Astonishing relevations

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Sunday 27 September 2026 20:55

Make us your Google favorite

The new blockbuster Christian Horner memoir reveals stunning criticism of former team advisor Helmut Marko and offers fresh revelations about Max Verstappen’s early days with the Red Bull F1 team.

The 52-year-old Brit, who has been out of racing since his sacking in July 2025, has lifted the lid on a bitter internal power struggle. He also claims Marko was originally not keen on Verstappen joining the team.

While many credit Marko with discovering Verstappen, Horner paints a very different picture of how the 16‐year-old Dutch talent was signed for his 2015 debut.

Article continues under video

The former team principal claims Marko was vehemently opposed to bringing Verstappen and his entourage on board.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton in turmoil as F1 star hit with double FIA punishment

Marko 'opposed Verstappen arrival at Red Bull'

When the idea of recruiting a teenage Verstappen was floated, Horner told The Times that Marko’s reply was scathingly dismissive.

“The father’s a nightmare … We don’t need this one,” he reportedly said.

That remark contrasts sharply with the public perception that the now retired Marko was the man who managed the relationship with Jos Verstappen, while Horner’s own relationship with Jos had cooled significantly.

Horner says Marko did not want to sign Verstappen.

Horner also expressed long-standing frustration with the way Marko managed young drivers and stirred up controversy in the media.

“It wasn’t how I would deal with things … I felt that I was always mopping up the s***.”

Horner then admitted that he himself is something of a polarising figure in the sport, telling his interviewer: “Maybe I am a bit of a Marmite character. I know I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. It’s impossible to be.”

Horner felt betrayed when Red Bull fired him

During his 20-year tenure at Red Bull Racing, Horner led the team to eight Drivers’ titles and six Constructors’ championships.

However, the dynamics shifted dramatically after the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022. Until that point, Horner and Marko had worked in tandem. With Mateschitz gone, the internal power struggle escalated rapidly.

Horner recounts feeling deeply betrayed by Marko around the time of his own eventual dismissal.

“A few days earlier he’d stayed at my house and spent time with my family, yet not a word had been said,” revealed the former Red Bull boss.

Horner also recalled how Marko had recruited him into F1 from his managerial role at Arden.

“If you wind the clock back, he gave me the initial opportunity. He saw something in me that he liked and he put me in front of Dietrich [Mateschitz].

"But towards the end, and certainly after Dietrich died, he didn’t really have a function. I think he always viewed me as the protégé. And I was way beyond that.”