Helmut Marko is desperately pushing for calm at Red Bull, as he expressed his gratitude to “loyal” Max Verstappen amid off-track drama.
Red Bull may have started the 2024 F1 campaign in generally dominant fashion, winning three one-two finishes in four races, but it turns out that waning discontent doesn’t mean the Red Bull saga is over.
A report by German publication Auto Motor und Sport referred to “two worlds” existing at Red Bull, and Verstappen’s exploits on the track served as a candle for a “fierce behind-the-scenes fight over the reorganisation of the company” following the death. . Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022.
He claimed that team principal Christian Horner, who sees himself as the “new general”, is a key figure in the saga, with Marko now emphasising that “we urgently need ‘calm’ as we want to keep winning the title. Focus.
“It’s basically about bringing calm to the team. And this is urgently needed,” Marko told the Kleine Zeitung in an update on Red Bull’s situation.
“As we saw in Australia, Ferrari is there if we don’t deliver on our promises. Other points also played a role, but the goal will have to be to win a fourth consecutive world title. Everything else has to be subordinate to that. .
The report also claims that Horner, armed with the support of Red Bull’s Thai majority shareholders, seeks to sideline the Austrian component of the company “as much as possible. “
So this discussion about Red Bull’s two-camp formation got to Marko, who replied: “It’s politics, which I’m not worried about at the moment.
“It’s about winning the next world championship title. “
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Verstappen was also involved in Red Bull’s politics, which reached a boiling point in Saudi Arabia, where Marko and Verstappen cast doubt on their long history with the team. PlanetF1. com understands that there is a clause in Verstappen’s contract that would allow him to leave. if Marko did.
Verstappen then made his loyalty to Marko transparent and actually warned that if Marko left, Red Bull risked wasting him too, with Marko saying he would never “take for granted” such a show of loyalty from the three-time world champion.
“It’s a very smart sign of loyalty,” Marko said. “I definitely don’t take it for granted, especially in this day and age. “
And Marko believes the performance of Verstappen, who has led three Red Bulls 1-2 so far this season, gets even more applause given that he offers it in the context of Red Bull’s off-track antics.
“Yes, he’s incredibly focused,” Marko reacted to this theory.
“He doesn’t want a team around him to help him in those situations. He’s an exceptional character and he’s only 27 years old. He’s doing his own thing anyway and that’s a smart thing to do.
Verstappen comes into this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix thirteen times behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez at the top of the drivers’ championship.
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