The men of Ziggo Sport took their place at the Race Café table again after the Japanese Grand Prix. The entire race was discussed with a fair amount of humor, but that did not mean that there were no serious matters to report. For example, Robert Doornbos came up with a photo showing the entire Red Bull Racing team, except Helmut Marko. According to Doornbos, the storm within the Austrian team has not yet subsided.
Two months later, the unrest within the Red Bull team still seems to be the biggest story in Formula 1. At the beginning of February it emerged that team boss Christian Horner had allegedly exhibited inappropriate behavior. Ultimately, Horner was not charged, but behind the scenes the case was still going on.
Helmut is missing from photo
The Austrian racing team managed to achieve a one-two victory this weekend at the Suzuka circuit. Not only did both drivers qualify on the front row, Verstappen and Pérez also crossed the finish line first and second respectively. As usual, a group photo was taken after the race with every member of the Red Bull team. But nothing could be further from the truth, because the big absentee is team advisor Helmut Marko.
“Despite all the success at Red Bull, there is still a lot of unrest behind the scenes,” Doornbos explains. ‘We get the tip of the iceberg through the media, but what is happening there now… Marko is not happy with Horner and Horner is not happy with Marko either.’ Yet it doesn’t stop there. ‘There are some things going on there. For example, Pérez went to that team yesterday and said, I want a three-year deal. At the table there is a laughing reaction to the anecdote.
“Laughable, indeed,” says Doornbos. ‘That request is rejected by Marko. He says: No way, you have to give him a deal for a maximum of one year. Because if you give him a two-year deal, he’ll sit back and give up again. Let him run every year,’ says Doornbos.
Case Horner is still playing out
According to Doornbos, the unrest within the Austrian team is far from a thing of the past. “Behind the scenes, the lawsuit with that staff member against Horner is still going on,” he says. According to Doornbos, certain people within the team would like this to be turned into an employment lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could provide more clarity to the outside world.
Furthermore, the consequences of the affair for the team do not seem to be over yet. “Adrian Newey is no longer charmed by it at all,” says the former Formula 1 driver. ‘Everyone thinks that’s Christian Horner’s best friend and yes, he brought him in for the big successes. But he doesn’t want to get involved in this anymore either.’
Doornbos then makes a striking statement. ‘What I have heard is that Adrian Newey will no longer renew his contract. And that is a thing, because if he stops at the end of 2025, will you (as a driver, ed.) still be good for the new era?’ Red Bull’s success story still seems to have another side behind the scenes. “There are all sorts of camps emerging despite the fact that the success on the circuit is simply top-level,” Doornbos summarizes.
