Red Bull's Marko Dismisses Horner Exit Rumours as 'Absolute Nonsense'
Helmut Marko has rejected speculation about Christian Horner's future at Red Bull, calling reports of internal discord and leadership changes baseless during the Suzuka Grand Prix weekend.
Helmut Marko has publicly dismissed rumours of Christian Horner's possible exit from Red Bull Racing, describing the speculation as “absolute nonsense” during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. The veteran Red Bull advisor was responding to claims that his own influence within the team had diminished and that Horner was facing internal pressure amid a turbulent period for the Formula One squad.
Marko's comments followed a week of speculation about Red Bull's leadership structure and the decision to extend Sergio Perez's contract the previous season. Marko was quoted as distancing himself from that call, but when pressed by Austrian broadcaster ORF at Suzuka, he was emphatic: “Nobody even knows the journalist,” he said, rejecting the story outright.
The timing of the rumours coincides with a clear downturn in Red Bull's on-track performance. The team, which dominated the previous era, has seen results slip in 2025, with several key technical and operational staff departing. McLaren CEO Zak Brown admitted that rivals are looking to capitalise on Red Bull's instability, openly stating that unsettling a competitor can be a deliberate strategy to gain an advantage.
Driver changes and team performance
Red Bull's recent troubles have focused attention on its driver line-up. After Sergio Perez struggled to match Max Verstappen, he was dropped, followed by Liam Lawson, who also failed to close the gap to the Dutchman. At Suzuka, Verstappen took pole, but Yuki Tsunoda, now in the second Red Bull seat, qualified only 15th, behind Lawson, who had returned to Racing Bulls.
Marko defended the latest switch, noting that Tsunoda had been just two tenths off Verstappen in practice and attributing the qualifying result to mistakes rather than a lack of pace. He said the team was “completely satisfied” with the change, suggesting the focus remains on extracting performance from the car rather than further driver upheaval.
Verstappen himself insisted the team's struggles are rooted in the RB21's performance deficit, not the driver line-up. He called on Red Bull to keep attention on car development, reiterating that the team decides who drives but that the technical package is the real concern.
Red Bull's response to pressure
The public rebuttal from Marko is intended to draw a line under speculation about Horner's future and internal splits. With rivals such as McLaren actively seeking to destabilise the Milton Keynes operation, Red Bull's leadership is keen to present a united front even as the team works to recover lost ground on track.
For more on Red Bull's position regarding its driver line-up, seeHorner: Red Bull's F1 struggles down to car, not drivers.
