Ex-Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers believes Red Bull team principal Christian Horner wants to control the Milton Keynes-based side “alone” and not with advisor Dr Helmut Marko.
Horner and Marko have led Red Bull since they entered F1 in 2005, with the duo having gone onto create one of the strongest teams in the history of the sport.
After Red Bull sealed both titles in 2023, Red Bull now have 13 championships to their name; however, the tension amongst the camp has seemingly never been higher.
The recently completed season was filled with rumours of Horner trying to oust Marko, who celebrated his 80th birthday during the campaign.
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Horner has quashed the rumours and has stressed that he’s not trying to remove Marko, something which Max Verstappen has insisted would result in him leaving as well.
Verstappen is very fond of Marko and has vouched to leave the team if he is ever ousted, a factor to consider for Red Bull.
Marko himself has noted that Horner will never decide when it’s his time to leave the team, as that decision will only be made by himself.
If Horner isn’t going to try and remove Marko, then what triggered all the speculation?
Albers thinks it all started with the tragic death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed on the weekend of the 2022 United States Grand Prix.
Marko and Mateschitz were very close friends; however, the co-founder’s death resulted in a huge power struggle.
It opened up a chance for a new leader, which in return has led to an “ego battle” between Horner and Marko, in Albers’ eyes.
“The moment that dramatic event happened was also the first moment I said that we would have this ego battle,” Albers told RTL GP magazine.
Despite Horner constantly rejecting the rumours linking him with wanting more power at Red Bull, Albers is convinced that he has a goal of “ruling alone” at the Austrians.
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The Red Bull boss is believed to be having a say on management decisions at sister side AlphaTauri, who are set to complete a huge rebrand.
For many, Horner making his presence known at AlphaTauri is a way of increasing his leadership status.
“Horner has this focus on ruling alone, and we can tell now that he is working to attain that position,” Albers believes.