Christian Horner: Helmut Marko's involvement in Red Bull's day-to-day running is minimal

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has claimed that Helmut Marko's involvement in the day-to-day running of the team was minimal. The development came as a major surprise, as for the most part, the Austrian veteran has been one of the core decision-makers within the team.

Horner was the first hire for Red Bull Racing, and he was recommended by none other than Helmut Marko to Dietrich Mateschitz. From 2005 onwards, when the team first began its F1 journey, Marko was touted to have as much sway as Horner, if not more, when it came to making the critical calls for Milton Keynes.

Since the death of Mateschitz, the dynamics have changed within the team. The board seems to be more involved in the key decision-making. To add to this, there was a public back-and-forth between Marko and Horner early in 2024, where the position of both senior personnel was in question.

While the dust seemed to have settled and a new dynamic has been formed, it does appear that Helmut Marko has taken a step back when it comes to the team's day-to-day operations.

Talking to the Telegraph, Red Bull boss Christian Horner was questioned about the role that the Austrian played within the team, and the team principal claimed that it was more of a mentorship role for Max Verstappen with minimal input in the day-to-day running. He said:

"Helmut is a kind of mentor for Max. His involvement in the day-to-day running of the team is minimal. He has played a very important role over the years, but I think everyone knows what his or her role is. Max has a great relationship with Helmut and can always rely on him."

Christian Horner on Red Bull losing key personnel at the team in the last few seasons

Red Bull has gone through a bit of a resource drain within the team, as quite a few key personnel left the squad for other teams. More notably, the biggest blow was what happened with Adrian Newey, as he left the team to join Aston Martin. There have been others as well, as Jonathan Wheatley is now at Sauber overseeing the transition to Audi.

Rob Marshall is also at McLaren and has been pivotal in his role. Christian Horner, however, continues to be belligerent in his approach, as, according to the team boss, Red Bull's core was still quite stable, and that matters most. He said:

"Yes, I always read and hear that a lot of people leave us. Let me put it into perspective: if you look at departures, we are at less than 4 percent. In terms of personnel, we are one of the most consistent teams in the sport. Last year, two famous names did indeed leave, or at least one with Adrian. But Jonathan wanted to become team boss (at Sauber, ed.) and I encouraged him to take that chance."

He added:

"But the reality is that the core of the team is stable. Also with regard to all those people whose names you don't know, who work in the factory. At other teams, the percentage of personnel that leaves is much higher. But perhaps that arouses less interest, because they are not driving at the front.”

Red Bull is more or less only in the fight for the Constructors' championship this season, as only Max Verstappen is getting the best out of the car. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the squad and the direction it could potentially take.