Christian Horner breaks silence on 'embarrassing' Helmut Marko comments

Red Bull Formula 1 chief Christian Horner has broken his silence on comments made by team advisor Helmut Marko in the aftermath of the Australian Grand Prix.

Marko is an outspoken character in the F1 paddock and does not shy away from offering his opinion on current affairs in the sport.

This trend continues after Melbourne, with the Austrian labeling Isack Hadjar's tears at the Australian GP as 'embarrassing' after a spin in the wet thwarted his debut on the formation lap.

Those comments on Hadjar were put to Horner on Sky Sports after the lone practice session for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, with the Red Bull chief being asked if there's a place for Marko's style of management in 2025.

Christian Horner on Helmut Marko's Hadjar comments

“Look, Helmut’s 82 [sic, 81] years of age," Horner said. "He’s old school. He’s a guy that lost an eye, pulled over the car and just turned the engine off.

“He will always have his own opinion, which he has the right to. Whether we share that opinion, no."

Horner continued, defending Hadjar: "It was very sad to see him [Hadjar] that upset, of course it was,"

“You forget how young they are. He’s 20 years of age, he’s got a bright future ahead of him and he’ll be fine.”

Hadjar went on to have a decent weekend in China this time around, finishing 11th in Sunday's race after qualifying in P7.

READ MORE: F1 2025: Chinese Grand Prix final classification after FIA announce MULTIPLE disqualifications

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