Christian Horner admitted that the rumors about Helmut Marko possibly being suspended with immediate effect were kind of “surprising” for the whole team.
During the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Marko revealed that he could be suspended by Red Bull as he might have been involved in the leaking of private information regarding Horner’s case.
However, Oliver Mintzlaff confirmed right before the race that, after a meeting with Marko, the latter would keep his role inside Red Bull.
Horner also admitted the rumor was “news to the team” and everybody was “quite surprised”.
“I think the rumor about the suspension was as news to the team as it was to anybody else. We were quite surprised to hear that.
“Helmut is a contractor to Red Bull GmbH, so it was an issue between them. We weren’t party or part of that discussion.
“I’ve known Helmut since 1996, and he’s played an important role over the years. That role has evolved over the years. I’ve known him a very, very long time.
“Coming up to 81 years of age, he’s still obviously motivated about Formula 1, which is a positive thing.”
Red Bull’s team principal also added that he wasn’t involved in the final decision and added that his relationship with Marko is great.
“My relationship with Helmut is no issue. I think that he’s always outspoken, but that’s Helmut,” added Horner.
“Everybody has a role to play, no matter what that role is. I think this team has been incredibly successful, and it has had tremendous ability for a long period of time. That has been one of the keys to our success.”