It’s been reported by Brazilian newspaper Globo that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is ‘trying to axe’ advisor Dr Helmut Marko, with their being a ‘struggle for power’ since the death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
Mateschitz sadly passed during last season’s United States Grand Prix, with it being claimed by the newspaper that Horner now wants full control of the energy drink company’s F1 operations.
Horner has been the team principal of Red Bull ever since they joined the pinnacle of motorsport in 2005, with Marko having always been alongside him.
However, the Briton also supposedly has a ‘great influence’ in sister team AlphaTauri, meaning that Horner is often involved in driver and director discussions.
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AlphaTauri are currently undergoing a huge amount of change, with Peter Bayer having joined as their new CEO, whilst ex-Ferrari race director Laurent Mekies will replace Franz Tost as team principal in 2024.
Horner was reportedly involved in the decision to hire Bayer, whilst he ‘wants to get rid’ of Yuki Tsunoda.
It’s not just Marko who Horner wants to remove from the Red Bull family, according to the Brazilian newspaper, with the Red Bull boss not wanting Tsunoda to race for AlphaTauri.
AlphaTauri have retained Tsunoda for 2024, whilst Daniel Ricciardo has also been given a full-time contract.
It means that Liam Lawson will remain as Red Bull’s reserve driver next season, unless something dramatic changes and Sergio Perez is dropped.
A large reason behind Tsunoda being retained is supposedly because Honda pushed for it, with Red Bull having initially rejected the Japanese manufacturer’s demand.
Honda are incredibly close to Tsunoda having supported his motorsport career, something which has seen him linked to Aston Martin in 2026, when Honda become their engine supplier.
Should this happen when the new engine regulations are introduced, then Horner will get what he reportedly wants.
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As for Marko, the 80-year-old hasn’t given any hint as to when he might retire.
He was recently at the centre of a huge controversy after he made a xenophobic comment directed at Perez, where he insisted that the Mexican’s lack of focus is down to him being “South American”.
His comment was both xenophobic and factually incorrect, with the driver being from Mexico which is part of North America.