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Marko labels Horner’s Verstappen contract claim an absolute lie
Helmut Marko has fired back at former Red Bull boss Christian Horner, dismissing claims about Max Verstappen's early contract as false.
By Nadia van Leeuwen - 2026-10-08T06:50:13.000Z - 3 min read
Formula One veteran Helmut Marko has issued a blunt rejection of assertions made by former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner regarding the recruitment of Max Verstappen. In an upcoming autobiography titled Drive, scheduled for release on 22 October, Horner alleges that Marko initially opposed bringing Verstappen into the Red Bull fold and that the driver's father, Jos, was forced to intervene to finalize the agreement.
Marko, who departed his role as a Red Bull advisor at the conclusion of the 2025 season, addressed the claims directly through Austrian media outlet OE24. The 83-year-old Austrian signalled his frustration with the narrative presented in the book while highlighting supportive commentary from former driver Ralf Schumacher, who dismissed Horner’s version of events as completely untrue on a recent podcast episode.
According to Schumacher's account on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Marko first made contact with Verstappen when the young driver was only eleven and a half years old. Schumacher explained that Jos Verstappen initially felt the step was premature at that stage, prompting Marko to temporarily walk away before their paths crossed again during the Formula Three era.
Marko elaborated on the timeline of events, pointing out that his early scouting efforts in karting eventually paved the way for a historic partnership. The relationship between the Austrian advisor and the reigning champion blossomed into one of the most successful driver-team combinations in modern Formula One history, yielding multiple world titles.
Countering Horner's assertions entirely, Marko turned the tables on the British team principal by recalling internal resistance during Verstappen's promotion in 2016. Marko maintains that Horner harboured serious doubts about moving Verstappen up to the senior Red Bull squad just four races into that season, questioning whether the young driver possessed sufficient experience.
Despite those alleged misgivings from the pit wall, Verstappen delivered an extraordinary performance by winning his very first race for Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. That victory established him as the youngest race winner in the history of the world championship, instantly validating the aggressive promotion orchestrated by Marko.
The public clash between the two former colleagues underscores the deepening fractures within the Red Bull hierarchy following the passing of company founder Dietrich Mateschitz. A protracted internal power struggle eventually culminated in Horner losing his position at the helm of the team shortly after the British Grand Prix in 2025, bringing an end to his twenty-year tenure.
As the publication date for Horner's book approaches, the dueling accounts offer a stark reminder of the volatile political landscape behind the scenes at Milton Keynes during their championship-winning years. Marko remains firm in his version of history, leaving the conflicting memoirs to fight for the final word on how Formula One's dominant force was truly built.