Helmut Marko issues update amid Red Bull civil war with Christian Horner

07 June 2024 , 04:00

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Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have been on opposite sides of an internal conflict at Red Bull (Image: Getty Images)

Helmut Marko says there is a "truce" between himself and Christian Horner with Red Bull under threat from their Formula 1 rivals.

Team principal Horner and super adviser Marko have worked together since the team first started out in Formula 1. But despite almost 20 years of cooperation, their relationship soured late last year and led to internal conflict behind the scenes.

That feud became public knowledge after Horner was accused by a colleague of inappropriate behaviour, which he denied. The Red Bull parent company dismissed the grievance against the team boss, though the complainant has since appealed that decision.

Max Verstappen's father Jos publicly called for Horner to be replaced and has continued to publicly claim that the team is falling apart. Marko has not been as outspoken, but it is clear that he too has been working against his long-time colleague.

But that civil war has been put on hold. Red Bull are, for the first time in a while, facing a genuine competitive challenge from their rivals with McLaren and Ferrari emerging from the pack to place the defending champions under pressure.

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Marko and Horner have aligned interests in that regard - they both want Red Bull Racing to keep winning. And so, speaking to Austrian outlet Kronen Zeitung, the 81-year-old declared: "We have made a truce."

He went on to say Red Bull will "combine all our forces" to fight their rivals and added: "Even if we are no longer superior, we want to win. But we definitely want to get the maximum out of it and look towards the championship title."

In another interview with the similarly named but separate outlet Kleine Zeitung, Marko also gave his verdict on Sergio Perez's new contract. The Mexican has been handed a new two-year deal by the team and the adviser shed some light onto why that decision was taken.

Marko said: "We want to ensure continuity and both drivers get on really well, there are simply no conflicts. Checo is also incredibly popular in Latin America. We sell more merchandise of his there than of Verstappen and, when he's on it, he's almost unbeatable."

Sister team RB has two seats available for next year. Marko says Yuki Tsunoda "is set" in place after a strong start to the season, leaving a fight for the other seat between Daniel Ricciardo and reserve Liam Lawson. If the latter is overlooked, the Austrian admits: "There is a clause... If we don't offer him an active seat, he is free for other teams."

Daniel Moxon